The action, apart from the foreseen evil, must be either morally good or indifferent. The means-end condition. The bad effect must not be the means by which one achieves the good effect. Good ends do not justify evil means. The right-intention condition. The intention must be the achieving of only the good effect, with the bad effect being only an unintended side effect. All reasonable measures to avoid or mitigate the bad effect must be taken. The proportionality condition. There must be a proportionately grave reason for permitting the evil effect. Criticisms Consequentialists, in particular, reject the notion that two acts can differ in their moral permissibility if both have exactly the same consequences, or expected consequences. John Stuart Mill, a nineteenth-century advocate of the utilitarian version of consequentialism, argues that it is a mistake to confuse the standards for right action with a consideration of our motives to perform a right action: "He who saves a fellow creature from drowning does what is morally right, whether his motive be duty, or the hope of being paid for his trouble; he who betrays the friend that trusts him, is guilty of a crime, even if his object be to serve another friend to whom he is under greater obligations." According to Mill, scrutiny of motives will show that almost all good behavior proceeds from questionable intentions. Therefore, Mill argues, our moral analysis should ignore matters of motivation, and so we should reject DDE, which appeals to a distinction between intended and unintended consequences. Mill further claims that scrutiny of motives will reveal a man's character, but utilitarianism does not judge character, only the rightness or wrongness of actions. See also Trolley problem – a moral dilemma exploring the principle of double effect Competing harms and necessity – similar theories in law Lesser of two evils principle References External links Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry PhilPapers Bibliography: 'Doctrine of Double Effect' Bioethics Thomism Ethical principles Catholic Church and abortion