Ethics in Health Care Stting: Doctrine of Double Effect

Ethics in Healthcare Setting
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Ethics in Healthcare Setting
The doctrine of double effect is defined as the good and the bad effect of an action. An action can be initiated, resulting in positive effects or at the same time, causing negative effects in the long-run. This principle emphasizes on the difference between causing moral harm as a side effect in the process of trying pursuing a good deed (Lippert-Rasmussen, 2010).
Scanlon view of the double effect talks about ethical importance of analyzing the motives and intentions that make people act. According to Scanlon, “an action that can result in the death of innocent people as the result or a means to an end is not morally right" (Lippert-Rasmussen, 2010). Scanlon argues that the difference of one’s intention is what determines if an action is either permissible or not permissible. According to Scanlon, the difference in permissibility can be related to the example of the trolley loop situation (Foster, Herring, Melham &Hope, 2011).
In this case, if there are exceptions to the rule then it would depend on the intention or the attitude of the person making the last decision. Double-effect situation occurs if one makes the decision of redirecting the trolley and instead hit the other person to save all the five people arguing that he is saving more lives, such decision is not acceptable (Foster et al., 2011).
The article about the organ shortage highlights the moral decision a doctor makes to save the other six patients by letting the others die or either letting the sixth patient die and instead treating the five patients with organs from the sixth person, is debatable (Lippert-Rasmussen, 2010). The shortage of organ scenario is not acceptable because the fact remains that one person will die for others to survive. The key factor in the situation is that if the doctor does not consider treating the s...