Principle JustifyDiff: Medium
Logic Breakdown
Passage Summary: A lawyer argues that because doctors on purpose stop a patient's heart for surgery, they are legally responsible for the death if the heart doesn't start back up.
Conclusion: Medical teams are technically guilty of manslaughter if a patient's life functions fail to restart after being intentionally stopped during a specific surgical procedure.
Reasoning: During these surgeries, doctors deliberately stop the heart and brain; if these functions do not resume, the doctors are responsible for the death.
Analysis: This is a 'Principle Justify' question, so we need a broad rule that forces the lawyer's conclusion to be true. The lawyer's logic rests entirely on the fact that the doctors *deliberately* caused the cessation of life functions. We need a principle that says anyone who intentionally stops life functions is legally responsible for the death if those functions don't return, regardless of the person's intent to help or the patient's consent. Look for a rule that links the 'deliberate act' to 'guilt' without exceptions for medical necessity.
Conclusion: Medical teams are technically guilty of manslaughter if a patient's life functions fail to restart after being intentionally stopped during a specific surgical procedure.
Reasoning: During these surgeries, doctors deliberately stop the heart and brain; if these functions do not resume, the doctors are responsible for the death.
Analysis: This is a 'Principle Justify' question, so we need a broad rule that forces the lawyer's conclusion to be true. The lawyer's logic rests entirely on the fact that the doctors *deliberately* caused the cessation of life functions. We need a principle that says anyone who intentionally stops life functions is legally responsible for the death if those functions don't return, regardless of the person's intent to help or the patient's consent. Look for a rule that links the 'deliberate act' to 'guilt' without exceptions for medical necessity.
Passage Stimulus
Passage Redacted
Unlock Full Passage5.Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the lawyer's analysis?
Correct Answer
D
D gives the needed rule: deliberately causing cessation of life functions is manslaughter if and only if the cessation is permanent. That directly licenses the lawyer’s conditional conclusion: since the team deliberately stops life functions, if those functions do not resume (i.e., the cessation is permanent), then they are guilty.
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