Notes for Double-Effect and Moral Decision Making:
- There are two types of sin. Mortal and Venial. Venial sins damage
our relationship with God. Mortal sins break our relationship with
God.
- There are 3 criteria for a sin to be a mortal sin. It must be 1) Grave
Matter, be done with 2) Full Knowledge that it is grave matter,
and be done with 3) Full Consent.
- The three parts to a moral act are the Object (What is being
done), the Intention (Why it is being done), and the Circumstances
(Who, when, where, how).
- The object must be morally good or at least morally neutral in
order for the act to be morally good. The intention must always
be good in order for the whole act to be good.
- Example 1) A guy in high school joins the basketball team to
impress a girl. The object (Joining the basketball team) is morally
neutral. The intention (to impress a girl) is good. And the
circumstances (he’s a high school student) don’t change anything.
Thus, the act is morally good.
- Example 2) A woman has an abortion because she wants to take
care of her morning sickness. Even though the intention (getting
rid of morning sickness) is good, because the object (having an
abortion) is morally wrong, therefore the entire act is morally
wrong.
- Double Effect is the principle of determining the morality or
immorality of an act that produces both a good and a bad effect.
- There are 4 conditions which must be met in the principle of
double effect.
1) The act itself must be morally good or at least morally neutral.
2) The good effect cannot come about as a result of the bad
effect.
3) The good effect must be willed and the bad effect merely
allowed.
4) The good effect must be greater than or at least equal to the
bad effect.