From The "Et Tu Brute?" Department - Austin Ruse Shills For Dissenting Catholic Politician

Barbara Comstock, a Catholic Virginian who is running for US Congress, is asking the Obama administration to make oral contraceptives available over the counter for women over eighteen.  She is a GOP insider who has the backing of Rick Santorum, Mark Levin and other leading figures.  Why she feels it necessary to cheer Obama's contraceptive mentality is beyond me.  She has garnered well-deserved criticism of LifeSiteNews and other pro-life organizations.

Austin Ruse, president of C-Fam, wrote an article in Crisis magazine entitled "Is Contraception the Hill We Want to Die On?"  He defends Ms. Comstock's formal and material cooperation with the mortal sin of birth control.  Let's take a look at what Comstock did.  In joining that push for contraception, she is actually engaged in an act that is inherently sinful.  I cannot judge her condemned for I know not her degree of culpability; by the same token I cannot assume her excused either.  I am surprised and disappointed that Ruse did not address that facet of the issue, for that one, among all other considerations, deals with the eternal (as opposed to political) consequences of Comstock's foolishness.

The title of the article is Ruse's attempt to take LifeSiteNews and other like-minded people (such as this author) to task for "charging up contraception hill".  In reality, it is Comstock who made that foolish foray up that hill.  We're simply choosing not to look the other way.

Ruse does make some good observations.  He notes, all too accurately, that Catholic homilies on these matters are few and far between.  He also notes that the USCCB has taken no public action regarding contraceptives per se - much to their shame.  Other than these, I cannot but believe that Ruse has done the Teaching Magisterium of the Church a gross disservice.