Yeah I think if one lies in good thoughts, to prevent someone from doing something thoughtless, that in not a bad thing, even though person we lie to may feel being treated like an object.
For example if there is a fire in someone's house and the owner wants to save her wife from dying, it may be not a bad thing to say him that her wife is not there because chances of saving her are really low, and in this case only one person would die, instead of two. That's sad and brutal, but overall result is better.