Can you explain double effect to me in a way that I can make sense of it? I have heard of it, but it seems as if there could be various ways to misunderstand it.
Thanks!
I heartily agree with the misinterpretation part. Rather than explain it technically, I will give some examples that I (hope) (you be the Judge of what is sensible) – are not too confusing.
Let’s say my wife was pregnant (she is too) – and that she had a daughter (the prediction of some firends from prayer experiences) –
Now, I have love for my wife (who is difficult rather often) and the child which is to come. I wish each of them the best.
Now let us hypothesize that I didn’t know she was preganant although she actually is and that her belly ached terribly – So much so, that I took her to a doctor – and the doctor scanned the womb area – noticing that the uterus was swollen and ready to rupture. At this point, my intention (aim) is clear – I am trying to help my wife feel better. The doctor’s intention is the same. Now, if this is an early pregnancy the doctor might not even notice the child – and order a hysterectomy if the swelling were threatening my wife’s life. A few things can be said at this point:
My intention is Good – the doctor’s intention is Good.
I don’t want my wife cut up – the doctor doesn’t want to cut my wife up.
BUT in order to save my wife’s life – the doctor “believes” honestly that But – the uterus must be removed, and that part of her body is not as important as the whole of her life.
My wife may go to surgery and have the operation – and I would simply desribe it as an emergency where the horrible act of mutilating her body had to happen, and that although she has suffered a great loss – at least she will live.
The fact that the child was killed was in neither mine, my wife’s, nor the doctor’s mind. There is no active guilt (only at maximum a passive one for not looking harder – and one does not have infinte time to look.)
Now, let us consider a complication – my wife did know she was pregnant (she does). Now an ugly situation happens for those who acknowledge the life of a child in the womb – Hysterectomy will kill the child not just mutilate the body a bit.
Does this fore-knowledge change what must happen? maybe – if we knew whether or not the child would survive and my wife would survive, that could be used to decide how to proceed. But I don’t know the future (unlike God). However, I find it logically obvious that the way I understand the world – the child is going to die whichever action is taken. Should my wife decide the uterus be removed, the child can not live – if the uterus is not removed – the swelling and rupture will kill the child.
I simply have NO known way, nor does my wife, or the doctor, of preventing the child’s death. In effect, the situation is a dilemma.
There is no “just” solution for everyone at the same time. So my wife decides to give up her uterus and Isimply concur, since at
least she will live.
Now to complete the explanation (analogy) consider that my neighbor is a smart aleck who des not recognize the life of a child in the womb. Upon discussing the subject with us, because of her concern about our rushing off to the hospital – i divulge that the baby died because the uterus was removed, and we are very sad. My neighbor, in her natural insensitivity, language, and belief system — calls across to our other neighbor kiddie-corner who is also worried “Hey, they aborted the baby and everything is O.K.” And our neighbor being the local historian posts it in the newspaper as that is what happened.
What am I to say? She told the truth in her language, the historian accurately recorded SOME of the “facts” (medically sopeaking) in the newspaper – but they both distorted what my intention was and my regard for the child in the womb. All I can say, is that my friends will be able to figure it out – especially since they have encountered me – and those who don’t know me will mostly be scandalized or self-righteous about the abortion. But, being a man, I don’t care what the world thinks – and I grit my teeth and bear the ambiguous interpretation of what I and my wife did.
My neighbor was commenting on the second effect (the death of the child) rather than the aim (the saving of my wife’s life) – and I stand socially condemned as a baby killer to many in the public eye.
There was one decision – to take or not take the uterus to save one person’s life – there were two outcomes reasonably known – two people died or one person died. That is a “double” effect of a single action of which evil existed in
both outcomes. The name is somewhat a misnomer, as there are usually far more than two effects (consequences) to consider.
Immanuel Kant proposed a sort of math / calculus where one computes what action causes the most good – when in fact human ignorance of the future makes a guarantee of right outcome – impossible. Perhaps Einstein would have been aborted… or any number of people in his system of thought. But at heart, all of these attempts at resolving the double effect problem are people trying to find ways to either justify their conscience – or to rail their fists at the world’s injustice. (Hitler wrote mein kampf in prision from world war I. Eg. a result of England’s imperial trade practices, and Germany’s entry into the world market coupled with snobbery, and the like. Hitler’s anger turned into a sort of revenge motif which included everyone who had ever even slightly offended him – including the Jewish gypsies who wandered about in Germany… )
I hope that is a sufficiently clear thumbnail sketch of double effect – which includes a view of possible misunderstanding of the people viewing it form the outside… Vs. the evil way of solving the problem – like Hitler Chose.
God bless you.
s 106:28 this was apparently a big deal. they were not to bring the dirt of paganism in with them.Leaders of the group of pagan worshipers were impaled. Phineas sees a Israelite going into a "ha-kubah’ a tent part of a cultic worship area gets ticked off because God has already explained this is wrong and this guy still insists in doing what he’s doing and phineas winds up killing both man and women. Phineas is lauded by God in turning God’s wrath away from the Israelites.This is seen as a support of the divine appointment or the Aaronide priesthood.eunuch were forbidden because they were considered “blemished” &“imperfect” . So just like a sacrifice would be considered unfit because of damage–so would a human being. this would fit in to the mindset of the day and place.ok? Good Luck!
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