An equal opportunity defender of Church teaching against the encroachments of consequentialism and the inveterate tendency of American political partisans to make excuses for Their Team\u2019s embrace of grave and intrinsic evil, we find him schooling the gang over at Vox Nova <\/a>for their reliable excuse-making on behalf of Obama\u2019s transparent lies <\/a>about funding abortion. Just as \u201cHey! It was just a few people we tortured\u201d is unlikely to help at the Pearly Gates, so is \u201cLook, it\u2019s just a handful of babies getting killed!\u201d unlikely to be an impressive defense either.<\/p>\n I think Zippy is exactly right. <\/p>\n In the presence of a proportionate reason, it can \u2013 if additional double-effect conditions are met \u2013 be morally licit to engage in remote material cooperation with evil. But when you elect a guy and engage in years-long public advocacy of his policies, you bring upon yourself certain very grave obligations. One of those grave obligations is to be first in line to criticize the wicked and despicable elements of his policies. Spending every public word attacking criticisms <\/em>of those wicked elements is just knock-knock-knocking on Hell\u2019s door.<\/p>\n Just as Catholic war advocates assumed grave responsibility and should have been the first, not the last, to criticize our comission of war crimes, so Catholic Obama Excuse-makers should be the first, not the last, to criticize the use of their Beloved Health Care Plan to kill children. That they are making excuses and attacking critics tells me that the concern about abortion is just smoke and mirrors.<\/p>\n Cue Morning\u2019s Minion in my comboxes with some sort of attempt at a tu quoque response!<\/p>\n