The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of Double Effect
Author(s)
Foot, Philippa
Abstract
The doctrine of double effect is the view that agents are not responsible for foreseen but unintended consequences. Foot discusses this view in connection with certain medical procedures. For example, a doctor who believed that abortion was wrong, even in order to save the mother’s life, might nevertheless consistently believe that it would be permissible to perform a hysterectomy on a pregnant woman with cancer. In carrying out the hysterectomy, the doctor would aim to save the woman’s life while merely foreseeing the death of the fetus. Performing an abortion, by contrast, would involve intending to kill the fetus as a means to saving the mother.
