Question

Suppose a dying woman is in severe pain. The normal dosage of pain relievers is not sufficient to control her suffering. The physician knows that in order to control that pain, the minimum effective dose might also hasten her impending death. However, her pain is so severe that he gives her the drug in an amount just sufficient to bring her comfort. Her breathing is affected by the pain reliever, and she dies sooner than might otherwise have been the case.

According to the Principle of Double Effect, did the physician acted ethically? Answer Yes/ No and justify your answer.

Answer 1

Yes, the physician acted ethically according to the Principle of Double Effect.

The principle of Double Effect or the principle of "double effect death" in case of terminally ill patients, could be applied to justify the deliberate administrstion of a pain killer in an attempt to relieve the pain suffered by the patient before death.

So, in this case, it is ethical to slightly shorten the life of an already dying woman in severe pain by relieving her pain before death through application of painkiller in a particlar dose.