1957

In an encyclical, Pope Pius XII endorsed lethal dosing, because “death is in no way intended or sought, even if the risk of it is reasonably taken; the intention is simply to relieve pain effectively, using for this purpose painkillers available to medicine.” This justification became known as the doctrine of double effect; it was imported from medieval Christian morality rooted in the thinking of Aquinas (Lavi, 130-131).