Abstract

The proportionalist position on the revision of the principle of double effect is now an important feature of moral discourse in contemporary Roman Catholic theological discussion. While its claim to being rooted in the work of Saint Thomas Aquinas is defensible, its view on the universal applicability of proportionate reasoning for determining the moral rightness or wrongness of actions is not without problems in some key areas, such as the distinction between direct and indirect consequences of an action. Indeed, proportionalists often argue in manners that would suggest that they have discarded this distinction outright. Such a result, it is argued, would be a grave error for Christian ethics