ABSTRACT
The doctrine of the double effect, originally developed in Catholic theology, is the subject of much dispute among philosophers today. Utilitarianism as a moral philosophy holds that the moral end to be sought in all we do should be to achieve the greatest possible balance of good over evil. The doctrine of the double effect distinguishes between cases in which a result is desired as a means to another end and cases in which the same result is not desired but is nevertheless foreseen by the actor as a certain result of his course of action. The explanation chosen for the existence of deontoiogical constraints may influence the way in which the distinction made by the doctrine of the double effect is rationalised. The aforementioned distinction applies in cases where the life of a pregnant woman can be saved only at the cost of the life of the foetus.
