Under the doctrine of double-effect, which condition justifies performing an action with both good and bad effects?

• A. The bad effect is not foreseen
• B. The actor intends only the good effect
• C. The good effect must outweigh the bad
• D. The act has no bad effects

Answer: (B)

In double effect, the ethical justification for an action that has both good and bad outcomes rests on the intention behind the action. You may perform the act when you intend the good effect and the bad effect is not intended, even if the bad effect is foreseen as a side consequence. The bad effect can be foreseen, but it must not be the means by which the good effect is achieved, and the action itself must be morally permissible in its own right. There must also be a proportionate reason: the good effect must be sufficiently desirable to compensate for allowing the bad effect.

That’s why the best answer is that the actor intends only the good effect. The other conditions—foreseeing the bad effect, the good effect outweighing the bad, or having no bad effects at all—do not alone justify the action. The doctrine hinges on the intent being directed toward the good outcome, with the bad outcome tolerated as an unintended side effect.