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INDIRECT SUICIDE

Allowing one's death without directly intending it. Thus a person does not want to die but permits death in the pursuit of some laudable objective that he foresees will be fatal to his life. Among the reasons considered sufficient to permit indirect suicide are the common good, e.g., soldiers fighting for their country, and the spiritual good, e.g., a priest administering the sacraments to those suffering from contagious disease.

See Also: DIRECT SUICIDE

All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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