Natural Law
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Some writers in the natural law tradition have claimed that it is always wrong to directly kill innocent people.

It is not always clear what the word "directly" means in this context; but it is sometimes said that killing is direct if it is intended or if it is the means by which one's purpose is achieved.

Direct killing of the guilty as punishment, or in a just war, is easily justified from this viewpoint. The indirect killing of the innocent is sometimes justified, but only when strict criteria are met.

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