How the Doctrine of Double Effect Rhetoric Harms Patients Seeking Voluntary Assisted Dying

This article argues that the legacy of the DDE is promoting inequitable access to VAD in Victoria due to the assumption that death represents an “evil” for the patient and that the intentions of physicians providing VAD cannot be trusted. The latter claim relies on two common objections to the DDE: the risk of “purifying the intentions” and the issue of “closeness” when evaluating m oral acts under this theory.
Source: Journal of Bioethical Inquiry - Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: research