Anscombe’s example was apt. The bomb blast at Hiroshima,
which ignited birds in midair, did lead to babies being
boiled: People died in rivers, reservoirs, and cisterns, trying in
vain to escape the heat. Anscombe’s point was that some things
may not be done, no matter what. It does not matter if we could
accomplish some great good by boiling a baby; it is simply
wrong. Anscombe believed in a host of such rules. Under no
circumstances, she said, may we intentionally kill innocent people;
worship idols; make a false profession of faith; engage in
sodomy or adultery; punish one person for the acts of another;
or commit treachery, which she describes as “obtaining a man’s
confidence in a grave matter by promises of trustworthy friendship
and then betraying him to his enemies.”