Key Ethical Principles

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Principle of Double Effect

An action that is good in itself that has two effects-

an intended and otherwise not reasonably attainable good effect, and an unintended yet foreseen evil effect--is licit, provided there is a due proportion between the intended good and the permitted evil.

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Principle of Double Effect

The object of the act must not be intrinsically contradictory to one's fundamental commitment to God and neighbor (including oneself), that is, it must be a good action judged by its moral object (in other words, the action must not be intrinsically evil); The direct intention of the agent must be to achieve the beneficial effects and to avoid the foreseen harmful effects as far as possible, that is, one must only indirectly intend the harm; The foreseen beneficial effects must not be achieved by the means of the foreseen harmful effects, and no other means of achieving those effects are available; The foreseen beneficial effects must be equal to or greater than the foreseen harmful effects (the proportionate judgment); The beneficial effects must follow from the action at least as immediately as do the harmful effects.

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Principle of Beneficence

Traditionally understood as the "first principle" of morality, the dictum "do good and avoid evil" lends some moral content to this principle. The principle of beneficence is a "middle principle" insofar as it is partially dependent for its content on how one defines the concepts of the good and goodness

beneficence is not a specific moral rule and cannot by itself tell us what concrete actions constitute doing good and avoiding evil

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The Principle of Nonmaleficence commonly translated as "first, do no harm," is often considered to be a corollary to the principle of beneficence.

As a middle principle, the principle of beneficence (and nonmaleficence) is the basis for certain specific moral norms (which vary depending on how one defines "goodness").

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Some of the specific norms that arise from the principle of beneficence in the Catholic tradition are:

never deliberately kill innocent human life (which, in the medical context, must be distinguished from foregoing disproportionate means); never deliberately (directly intend) harm; seek the patient’s good; act out of charity and justice; respect the patient’s religious beliefs and value system in accord with the principle of religious freedom;

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a.  always seek the higher good, that is, never neglect one good except to pursue a proportionately greater or more important good;

b.  never knowingly commit or approve an objectively evil action;

c.  do not treat others paternalistically but help them to pursue their goals;

d.  use wisdom and prudence in all things, that is, appreciate the complexity of life and make sound judgments for the good of oneself, others, and the common good.

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Principles of Integrity and Totality

Believes the well-being of the whole person must be taken into account in deciding about any therapeutic intervention or use of technology. "integrity" refers to each individual’s duty to "preserve a view of the whole human person in which the values of the intellect, will, conscience, and fraternity are pre-eminent" (Gaudium et Spes, n. 61). "Totality" refers to the duty to preserve intact the physical component of the integrated bodily and spiritual nature of human life, whereby every part of the human body "exists for the sake of the whole as the imperfect for the sake of the perfect"

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Principles of Integrity and Totality

However, a part of the human body may be sacrificed if that sacrifice means continued survival for the person. While such sacrifices are normally justifiable under the principles of integrity and totality, they may sometimes be forgone under the principle of disproportionate means.

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Principle of Proportionate and Disproportionate Means

This principle constitutes an important approach to the analysis of ethical questions arising from the general obligation to preserve human life and the limits of that obligation the principle addresses whether the forgoing of life-sustaining treatment constitutes euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide in certain circumstances and it guides individuals and surrogate decision-makers in the weighing of benefits and burdens.

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Principle of Proportionate and Disproportionate Means

Proportionate means is any treatment that, in the given circumstances, offers a reasonable hope of benefit and is not too burdensome for the patient or others. What is a reasonable hope of benefit to the patient should be judged within the context of the whole person (i.e., considered holistically, not just physiologically). A disproportionate means is any treatment that, in the given circumstances, either offers no reasonable hope of benefit (taking into account the well-being of the whole person) or is too burdensome for the patient or others, i.e., the burdens or risks are disproportionate to or outweigh the expected benefits of the treatment

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Principle of Respect for Persons

All individual human beings are presumed to be free and responsible persons and should be treated as such in proportion to their ability in the circumstances. Individuals with reduced autonomy are entitled to appropriate protection, according to the principles of subsidiarity, human dignity, justice, charity, and vicarious consent.

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The human person, then, can be understood in four interrelated ways:

as a bodily subject, that is, we are not merely spirits that possess bodies, but we are body as much as we are spirit; as a knowing subject for which knowledge is a good both as an end in itself and as a means to fulfillment; as a social subject whose primary context is that of person situated in community; and as a self-transcendent subject insofar as we are related to God in our created nature, through God’s loving creation and in our ability to participate in that creation.

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As a subject, and not merely an object, a human person must be treated with respect in such a way that recognizes his or her human dignity.

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Principle of Human Dignity

The intrinsic worth that inheres in every human being . is rooted in the concept of Imago Dei, in Christ’s redemption and in our ultimate destiny of union with God. Human dignity therefore transcends any social order as the basis for rights and is neither granted by society nor can it be legitimately violated by society. Human dignity is the conceptual basis for human rights. Every human being should be acknowledged as an inherently valuable member of the human community and as a unique expression of life, with an integrated bodily and spiritual nature.

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Principle of Human Dignity

Is foundational for the tradition’s understanding of distributive justice, the common good, the right to life and the right to health care

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Principle of Informed Consent

It is the right and responsibility of every competent individual to advance his or her own welfare. This right and responsibility is exercised by freely and voluntarily consenting or refusing consent to recommended medical procedures, based on a sufficient knowledge of the benefits, burdens, and risks involved.

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The ability to give informed consent depends on:

1) adequate disclosure of information; 2) patient freedom of choice; 3) patient comprehension of information; and 4) patient capacity for decision-making.

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When these requirements are met, three conditions are satisfied:

1) that the individual’s decision is voluntary; 2) that this decision is made with an appropriate understanding of the circumstances; and 3) that the patient’s choice is deliberate insofar as the patient has carefully considered all of the expected benefits, burdens, risks and reasonable alternatives.

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Principle of Stewardship

Stewardship requires us to appreciate the two great gifts that a wise and loving God has given:

the earth, with all its natural resources, and our own human nature, with its biological, psychological, social and spiritual capacities

This principle is grounded in the presupposition that God has absolute Dominion over creation, and that, insofar as human beings are made in God’s image and likeness (Imago Dei), we have been given a limited dominion over creation and are responsible for its care.

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Principle of Stewardship

The principle requires that the gifts of human life and its natural environment be used with profound respect for their intrinsic ends. The gift of human creativity especially should be used to cultivate nature and the environment, recognizing the limitations of our actual knowledge and the risks of destroying these gifts.

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Principle of Subsidiarity

Subsidiarity requires those in positions of authority to recognize that individuals have a right to participate in decisions that directly affect them, in accord with their dignity and with their responsibility to the common good. one should not withdraw those decisions or choices that rightly belong to individuals or smaller groups and assign them to a higher authority. It implies that, when a decision is to be made, we should identify the most appropriate forum and level of decision making, and how best and to what degree those individuals most affected should participate in the decision making process

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Principle of the Common Good

the common good consists of all the conditions of society and the goods secured by those conditions, which allow individuals to achieve human and spiritual flourishing the principle of the common good has three essential elements:

1) respect for persons; 2) social welfare; and 3) peace and security.

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Principle of the Common Good

the common good requires that the infrastructure of society is conducive to the social well being and development of its individual members. public authorities are to arbitrate between competing interests and to ensure that individual members of society have access to the basic goods that are necessary for living a truly human life, e.g., food, clothing, health care, meaningful work, education, etc It requires the peace and security that accompanies a just social order.

Key Ethical Principles

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