Doctors worldwide occasionally administer more pain control medication than might be required to control the pain of patients who are suffering and close to death. This practice is acknowledged by the courts as the principle of “double effect”, where doctors may administer increasingly larger doses of medication to ensure that patients don’t experience pain. As long as the doctor’s intention is to relieve suffering, she or he will not be liable even if they are aware that doing so might have the dual effect of shortening that person’s life. That practice is not illegal even now in New Zealand.