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Why Pro-Life?: Caring for the Unborn and Their Mothers
So much is at stake in the abortion debate. If pro-choicers are right, precious freedoms are in jeopardy. If pro-lifers are right, innocent children are being robbed of their most basic freedom—life. Though bumpersticker slogans prevail, the facts are rarely presented. We need clear and credible answers to the central questions of the abortion debate. For those who have had abortions or are currently considering one, for pro-choicers and fence-straddlers alike, Why Pro-Life? provides answers to these questions in a concise, straightforward, and nonabrasive manner.
Human Life Begins… When ?
No issue is more divisive or troubling than abortion. Many believe that we have to choose between helping women and helping children. This book shows how critical it is that we help both. In a concise, non-abrasive fashion, Randy Alcorn offers compassionate, factual answers to the central issues of the abortion debate.
[ Insert Sarah Marie Switzer image ] An award-winning photo of an operation on Sarah Marie Switzer, a twenty-four-week unborn child with spina bifida. Sarah, here grasping a surgeon’s finger, was reinserted into her mother’s womb and born two months later, nine weeks premature.
[ Insert 3-D Real-Time ultrasound image ] A 3-D ultrasound photo of a baby 21 weeks after conception—just over halfway through the pregnancy. Modern technology offers a window to the womb that is changing the face of the abortion debate.
Story Behind the Book
There have always been likable people who hold to wrong positions on ethical issues—including slavery and anti-Semitism. Sincere people can be wrong and often are. We need a clear presentation of what is true. Randy Alcorn has intervened for the unborn and their mothers—and at great personal cost. In writing this book on one of today’s critical issues, he has endeavored to lay out well-supported facts on why the pro-life position is right and true when it comes to valuing human life.
Human Life Begins… When ?
No issue is more divisive or troubling than abortion. Many believe that we have to choose between helping women and helping children. This book shows how critical it is that we help both. In a concise, non-abrasive fashion, Randy Alcorn offers compassionate, factual answers to the central issues of the abortion debate.
[ Insert Sarah Marie Switzer image ] An award-winning photo of an operation on Sarah Marie Switzer, a twenty-four-week unborn child with spina bifida. Sarah, here grasping a surgeon’s finger, was reinserted into her mother’s womb and born two months later, nine weeks premature.
[ Insert 3-D Real-Time ultrasound image ] A 3-D ultrasound photo of a baby 21 weeks after conception—just over halfway through the pregnancy. Modern technology offers a window to the womb that is changing the face of the abortion debate.
Story Behind the Book
There have always been likable people who hold to wrong positions on ethical issues—including slavery and anti-Semitism. Sincere people can be wrong and often are. We need a clear presentation of what is true. Randy Alcorn has intervened for the unborn and their mothers—and at great personal cost. In writing this book on one of today’s critical issues, he has endeavored to lay out well-supported facts on why the pro-life position is right and true when it comes to valuing human life.
136 pages, Hardcover
First published September 23, 2004
About the author
Randy Alcorn
223 books1,494 followersRandy Alcorn is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.
"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."
Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.
Randy is a best-selling author of 50 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.
Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.
Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.
Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org
"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."
Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.
Randy is a best-selling author of 50 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.
Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.
Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.
Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
March 7, 2015
I was really hoping to read a book that helped me understand the pro-life position. This was not the book. Apparently, pregnancy is a doddle that lasts 3-4 months and doesn't interfere at all with your health or ability to live your normal life. Life begins at conception, except in the case of all the eggs that naturally don't implant or spontaneously abort, which don't count; life that matters only begins at conception if a man notices it.
Also, every time I double checked any facts, they turned out to be lies -- the author thinks abortion is more dangerous than birth, doesn't understand cancer at all (did you know that pregnancy doesn't affect cancer treatment at all? Neither did any doctor, just this pro-life guy). I was left with the idea that the pro-life movement has a deep disrespect not just for women but for science and facts. According to him, the male equivalent to abortion is raping any women they see -- just as the right of all men to have sex with any woman they see needs to be restricted, a woman's right to abortion needs to be restricted. I wish I were making this analogy up. Because after all, your rights end when they impact someone else. At that point, I began to see that Randy Alcorn and I live in very different universes.
Still looking for a book that deals with this issue competently.
Also, every time I double checked any facts, they turned out to be lies -- the author thinks abortion is more dangerous than birth, doesn't understand cancer at all (did you know that pregnancy doesn't affect cancer treatment at all? Neither did any doctor, just this pro-life guy). I was left with the idea that the pro-life movement has a deep disrespect not just for women but for science and facts. According to him, the male equivalent to abortion is raping any women they see -- just as the right of all men to have sex with any woman they see needs to be restricted, a woman's right to abortion needs to be restricted. I wish I were making this analogy up. Because after all, your rights end when they impact someone else. At that point, I began to see that Randy Alcorn and I live in very different universes.
Still looking for a book that deals with this issue competently.
April 26, 2009
I have always been staunchly pro choice but with certain things happening lately I have had a serious change of heart. After reading this book, it only confirms my decision. And I've had an early term chemical abortion when I was 18, so I have an idea of what I'm talking about. There's a lot more emotion and guilt that plagues a woman than is revealed in the pro choice movement. It is sad to say neither side can tell the whole truth.
July 27, 2015
Convicting and convincing.
January 7, 2013
It's amazing how compelling and convicting simple logic can be. This book is great for educating Christians on why the pro-life movement is worthy of their consideration (and action). And Randy Alcorn doesn't make it so much about politics rather than actual people. Even in talking about steps to take he doesn't sound the alarm for everyone to go protesting outside of abortion clinics. But he does show that everyone can have a part to play, even including caring for those single mothers who decided not to get an abortion.
The book is essentially well-reasoned arguments for why a Christian should have an actual stake in the pro-abortion/pro-life movement. It's not meant to give anyone the ability to go out and defend the pro-life position to non-Christians (that's going to be found in his larger ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments). But it certainly gives Christian readers the evidence they need to know that they no longer can turn the back to this "issue" or put it to the side. Life is something for which we must take a stand. And Mr. Alcorn argues persuasively that that thing in the mother's womb is indeed life.
The book is essentially well-reasoned arguments for why a Christian should have an actual stake in the pro-abortion/pro-life movement. It's not meant to give anyone the ability to go out and defend the pro-life position to non-Christians (that's going to be found in his larger ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments). But it certainly gives Christian readers the evidence they need to know that they no longer can turn the back to this "issue" or put it to the side. Life is something for which we must take a stand. And Mr. Alcorn argues persuasively that that thing in the mother's womb is indeed life.
May 18, 2010
Solid review of why it makes sense to be pro-life. The author spends time on the biological, philosophical, and logical reasons why it is proper to defend life. Excellent chapters on why the feminists from 1900 forward (except Sanger) were mostly pro-life. Good book for anyone who wants reinforcement of his pro-life beliefs or wants to be ready when challenged by the those who defend abortion as practiced in America today.
October 19, 2015
Although Randy Alcorn is a Bible-believing Christian, he doesn't depend on the Bible to show that abortion is wrong. He documents science as recognizing that life begins at conception, and he uses logic to show that if it's wrong to take the life of three year old child, it's equally wrong to take the life of a three month old unborn baby. He presents facts and logic for nonbelievers who would not respond to a Biblical message. But he presents a Christian message to those who have been involved in abortion, whether it is a mother who aborted her child, a man who convinced his wife or girlfriend have an abortion, or someone who influenced women by their strong advocacy for abortion. He shares the Salvation message. He quotes Scripture that abortion is a sin, one of many sins committed by all people. He covers the need to repent and ask for forgiveness, and he describes the grace and mercy of God and Christ paying off our sins. He talks directly to Christians to answer a question he gets often: isn't pro-life activism a distraction from the Great Commission? Alcorn points out that the greatest commandments are to love God with all our hearts, minds, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Saving lives certainly qualifies as loving our neighbors. Also the Great Commission has two parts: making disciples in all the world and doing all that Jesus commanded. Jesus commanded us to care for the needy and vulnerable. Women considering abortion and their unborn babies at risk of death are definitely vulnerable. Alcorn isn't content to leave reader's philosophically pro-life. The last chapter of the book includes dozens of ways to get involved, from becoming informed enough to be able to persuade others to running for office. When we realize the magnitude of this problem, surely all right-thinking people will stand up for unborn children, individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and anyone considered unwanted in our society.
September 10, 2013
Incredible! I would give this more than 5 stars if possible, and I definitely plan to read it again.
Abortion is the taking of a human life - the fact cannot be escaped. Human life is so precious, and ought to be treasured, whether adult, young child, or an unborn baby in the womb. It is not whether a child is "wanted" that gives him worth. It is the fact that he is created in the image of Almighty God.
Mr. Alcorn presents the facts as they are, and makes a compelling case for the pro-life position, also showing that pro-choice is really "no choice". He shares the gospel and also offers practical ways for us to help the unborn babies and their mothers by getting involved in church or community pro-life programs, opening our homes to pregnant women, and many other options.
Each person is fearfully and wonderfully made by our awesome Creator and life is a miraculous and beautiful thing!
Abortion is a huge issue of our time, and I believe that every Christian should read this book. You will come away as a changed person. I certainly did!
Abortion is the taking of a human life - the fact cannot be escaped. Human life is so precious, and ought to be treasured, whether adult, young child, or an unborn baby in the womb. It is not whether a child is "wanted" that gives him worth. It is the fact that he is created in the image of Almighty God.
Mr. Alcorn presents the facts as they are, and makes a compelling case for the pro-life position, also showing that pro-choice is really "no choice". He shares the gospel and also offers practical ways for us to help the unborn babies and their mothers by getting involved in church or community pro-life programs, opening our homes to pregnant women, and many other options.
Each person is fearfully and wonderfully made by our awesome Creator and life is a miraculous and beautiful thing!
Abortion is a huge issue of our time, and I believe that every Christian should read this book. You will come away as a changed person. I certainly did!
February 21, 2017
This is an excellent comprehensive book on all the arguments in favor of recognizing the humanity and right to life for the unborn. Mr. Alcorn 's points are logical, rational, and factually supported. The only area where I think he may be getting too far into the weeds and a bit off base was in the section where he argues against the birth control pill as a moral means of contraception. While I could follow his line of reasoning to a certain extent, I think it's also a case of taking a logical argument too far to the point of reductio ad absurdem. However, this is only a comparatively small section-- on the whole, this is an outstanding book addressing well one of the great moral controversies of our time.
December 6, 2015
This little book is good reading for pro-lifers. By Randy Alcorn, one of the evangelical Christians I highly respect, the book has lots of facts and quotes in it that support pro-life issues, and it's written in a very compassionate way. It's also a quick read, and it's very cheap on Kindle. I would recommend it to pro-lifers as well as those who would like to know more about the pro-life movement. I did skip over the chapter on biblical reasons why Christian should be pro-life, but I'm sure it's is excellent and well sourced as the rest of the book.
May 28, 2018
Excellent quick read on abortion. I personally feel like the chapters on the rape/incest argument is too short. Most defenders of pro-life say that only 1% of abortions are actually because of rape or incest, but one percent is still 14,000 victims - FAAAAR too many women for such a short chapter. The rape/incest objection is one that pro-lifers need to better educate themselves on. Don’t use the 1% excuse - that’s not good logic.
I'm am 100% against abortion, but I'd like to see a fully developed argument for these concerns rather than a quick page write up.
I'm am 100% against abortion, but I'd like to see a fully developed argument for these concerns rather than a quick page write up.
October 13, 2010
This outstanding resource by Randy Alcorn moves through five sections: 1) The Basics; 2) The Child; 3) The Woman; 4) Other Important Issues; 5) Spiritual Perspectives. It's written for the average person with no spiritual background and covers a ton of territory addressing all of the sham arguments and difficult issues surrounding abortion. Everyone should read and hand out copies of this.
April 23, 2024
A must read!!! Information that everyone should know written in an easy to understand way. This book looks at all angles of the issue and covers it comprehensively. I love how the ending gave hope even for those who were involved in an abortion and a call for all of us to be involved in saving babies and helping mothers.
April 12, 2021
a pro-life book written by a white man? HAHA
this is embarrassing, but my aunt gave it to me and i santed to throw up
RANDY DIDN’t UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT.
this is embarrassing, but my aunt gave it to me and i santed to throw up
RANDY DIDN’t UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT.
June 26, 2022
Calling Abortion For What It Really Is — Murder
A compelling case for the pro-life position in the abortion debate. Author Randy Alcorn raises many valid arguments, full of conviction, to oppose abortion. In today’s society, which is immersed in moral relativism and tolerance-driven postmodern culture, many prefer swimming with the tide than going against the grain. Though the author is a Christian, he doesn’t make many arguments from the Bible in the main body of this book. On the contrary, his case against abortion is grounded in medical science and reliable psychological studies. In fact, he presents a spiritual perspective only toward the end.
The book delves into the heated debate whether or not an unborn child is a real person who constitutes a meaningful life. Although it’s scientifically proven that “an individual human life begins at conception,” abortion has been positioned as a morally justifiable stance by both feminists and liberals alike, thereby compromising an innocent preborn child’s most basic right — the right to live. As Randy Alcorn observes, “unborn children have protectable interests in life, health, and well-being.” He calls out the misleading aspect of the pro-choice argument — that abortion is in the best interests of the baby — by reasoning out that “it’s never in anyone’s best interests to kill a child.” It is rather ironic that the solution to not being able to give a baby a good life is to take from him or her the only life he or she has. One person’s temporarily difficult circumstances don’t justify taking the life of another person. To put it in the words of the President of Feminists for Life, Serrin Foster, “Abortion has completely failed as a social policy designed to aid women.”
The pro-abortion gained the upper hand through their clever semantics, wherein the word “choice” became a euphemism that veiled the horrors of abortion. The idea of abortion was tactfully separated from the idea of killing “through public conditioning, use of language, concepts and laws.” Randy Alcorn correctly argues that the pro-choice position “always overlooks the victim’s right to choose” and that “not all choices are legitimate.” Instead of being pro-choice or anti-choice, he asks us to be pro-good and anti-evil. Abortion has changed the way we view children. Unfortunately, the practice has engendered “a society in which the powerful, for their own self-interest, determine which human beings will live and which will die.”
Most young women are completely unaware of the medical facts surrounding abortion, such as the development of the fetus, and are also left uninformed of abortion alternatives. The author presents adoption as a positive alternative to abortion because it “avoids the responsibility of child raising, while saving a life and making a family happy. It’s regrettable that the practice is “so infrequently chosen or even offered as an alternative to abortion.” The book also discusses the lives of women who profoundly regret their abortions. Since the legalization of abortion in the US, several post-abortion support and recovery groups have popped up, the existence of which “testifies to the mental and emotional trauma of countless women who have had abortions.” Randy Alcorn cites scientific studies and medical journals to point out the health risks posed by induced abortions such as increased rates of breast cancer, placenta previa, preterm births, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and liver cancer, among other conditions.
Along the pages, Randy Alcorn raises many pertinent questions and drops truth bombs that may come as a bitter pill to swallow for many. He criticizes the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling and the Planned Parenthood organization for their culpability in furthering an immoral agenda. The pro-abortion feminists crafted their strategy in such a way that abortion was deliberately linked to the women’s issue “so it could be furthered not on its own merits but on the merits of women’s rights.” A majority of the feminists today advocate abortion as a as a means of social, economic and sexual liberation for women, while conveniently ignoring the fact that the suffragettes as well as the first-wave feminists were opposed to abortion. Many have forgotten that prominent women’s rights activist Alice Paul, who drafted the Equal Rights Amendment, referred to abortion as “the ultimate exploitation of women.”
The author doesn’t shy away from discussing complicated scenarios like incest and rape. Speaking of such cases, he urges us to “punish abusers, not the victims,” and adds that “creating a second victim never undoes the damage to the first.” Moreover, he draws a parallel between rape and abortion wherein “both are done by a more powerful person at the expense of the less powerful.” He goes on to discuss the abortion of disabled infants. It’s alarming that such policies border on eugenics. He justly notes that “the quality of a society is largely defined by how it treats its weakest members. Killing the innocent is never justified because it relieves others of a burden.” The pro-choice side has created a distinction between “wanted” and “unwanted” children. Unwanted describes not the child but “an attitude of some adults toward the child.” The real problem “isn’t unwanted children, but unwanting adults.” Randy Alcorn stresses the fact that every child is a wanted child, regardless of anyone else’s feelings toward him or her. His views on this issue are spot on — “If we abort children because of their handicaps, we jeopardize all handicapped people.” Furthermore, he tackles the absurd argument that aborting a child prevents child abuse in the future. He rightfully asserts that “The solution to child abuse isn’t doing the abusing earlier. It’s not doing it at all.”
Throughout the book, Randy Alcorn doesn’t understate the trauma faced by women while making abortion-related decisions. He asks us to not only “love and care for pregnant women who feel pressured toward abortion,” but also “love women who’ve had abortions, and do all we can to help them recover from abortion’s trauma.” He appeals for pro-life unity and advocates for pro-life education, abstinence education, political action, and peaceful, nonviolent intervention outside abortion clinics.
Overall, Why Pro-Life? is a much-needed read for today’s polarized society, where abortion is normalized and promoted. To borrow a quote from the book, “If unborn children are not safe, no one is safe.”
A compelling case for the pro-life position in the abortion debate. Author Randy Alcorn raises many valid arguments, full of conviction, to oppose abortion. In today’s society, which is immersed in moral relativism and tolerance-driven postmodern culture, many prefer swimming with the tide than going against the grain. Though the author is a Christian, he doesn’t make many arguments from the Bible in the main body of this book. On the contrary, his case against abortion is grounded in medical science and reliable psychological studies. In fact, he presents a spiritual perspective only toward the end.
The book delves into the heated debate whether or not an unborn child is a real person who constitutes a meaningful life. Although it’s scientifically proven that “an individual human life begins at conception,” abortion has been positioned as a morally justifiable stance by both feminists and liberals alike, thereby compromising an innocent preborn child’s most basic right — the right to live. As Randy Alcorn observes, “unborn children have protectable interests in life, health, and well-being.” He calls out the misleading aspect of the pro-choice argument — that abortion is in the best interests of the baby — by reasoning out that “it’s never in anyone’s best interests to kill a child.” It is rather ironic that the solution to not being able to give a baby a good life is to take from him or her the only life he or she has. One person’s temporarily difficult circumstances don’t justify taking the life of another person. To put it in the words of the President of Feminists for Life, Serrin Foster, “Abortion has completely failed as a social policy designed to aid women.”
The pro-abortion gained the upper hand through their clever semantics, wherein the word “choice” became a euphemism that veiled the horrors of abortion. The idea of abortion was tactfully separated from the idea of killing “through public conditioning, use of language, concepts and laws.” Randy Alcorn correctly argues that the pro-choice position “always overlooks the victim’s right to choose” and that “not all choices are legitimate.” Instead of being pro-choice or anti-choice, he asks us to be pro-good and anti-evil. Abortion has changed the way we view children. Unfortunately, the practice has engendered “a society in which the powerful, for their own self-interest, determine which human beings will live and which will die.”
Most young women are completely unaware of the medical facts surrounding abortion, such as the development of the fetus, and are also left uninformed of abortion alternatives. The author presents adoption as a positive alternative to abortion because it “avoids the responsibility of child raising, while saving a life and making a family happy. It’s regrettable that the practice is “so infrequently chosen or even offered as an alternative to abortion.” The book also discusses the lives of women who profoundly regret their abortions. Since the legalization of abortion in the US, several post-abortion support and recovery groups have popped up, the existence of which “testifies to the mental and emotional trauma of countless women who have had abortions.” Randy Alcorn cites scientific studies and medical journals to point out the health risks posed by induced abortions such as increased rates of breast cancer, placenta previa, preterm births, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and liver cancer, among other conditions.
Along the pages, Randy Alcorn raises many pertinent questions and drops truth bombs that may come as a bitter pill to swallow for many. He criticizes the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling and the Planned Parenthood organization for their culpability in furthering an immoral agenda. The pro-abortion feminists crafted their strategy in such a way that abortion was deliberately linked to the women’s issue “so it could be furthered not on its own merits but on the merits of women’s rights.” A majority of the feminists today advocate abortion as a as a means of social, economic and sexual liberation for women, while conveniently ignoring the fact that the suffragettes as well as the first-wave feminists were opposed to abortion. Many have forgotten that prominent women’s rights activist Alice Paul, who drafted the Equal Rights Amendment, referred to abortion as “the ultimate exploitation of women.”
The author doesn’t shy away from discussing complicated scenarios like incest and rape. Speaking of such cases, he urges us to “punish abusers, not the victims,” and adds that “creating a second victim never undoes the damage to the first.” Moreover, he draws a parallel between rape and abortion wherein “both are done by a more powerful person at the expense of the less powerful.” He goes on to discuss the abortion of disabled infants. It’s alarming that such policies border on eugenics. He justly notes that “the quality of a society is largely defined by how it treats its weakest members. Killing the innocent is never justified because it relieves others of a burden.” The pro-choice side has created a distinction between “wanted” and “unwanted” children. Unwanted describes not the child but “an attitude of some adults toward the child.” The real problem “isn’t unwanted children, but unwanting adults.” Randy Alcorn stresses the fact that every child is a wanted child, regardless of anyone else’s feelings toward him or her. His views on this issue are spot on — “If we abort children because of their handicaps, we jeopardize all handicapped people.” Furthermore, he tackles the absurd argument that aborting a child prevents child abuse in the future. He rightfully asserts that “The solution to child abuse isn’t doing the abusing earlier. It’s not doing it at all.”
Throughout the book, Randy Alcorn doesn’t understate the trauma faced by women while making abortion-related decisions. He asks us to not only “love and care for pregnant women who feel pressured toward abortion,” but also “love women who’ve had abortions, and do all we can to help them recover from abortion’s trauma.” He appeals for pro-life unity and advocates for pro-life education, abstinence education, political action, and peaceful, nonviolent intervention outside abortion clinics.
Overall, Why Pro-Life? is a much-needed read for today’s polarized society, where abortion is normalized and promoted. To borrow a quote from the book, “If unborn children are not safe, no one is safe.”
June 22, 2012
When people think of the anti-abortion movement, thoughts of judgmental, woman-hating zealots carrying signs and attacking abortion clinics unfortunately come to mind. In Why Pro-Life: Caring for the Unborn and their Mothers, author Randy Alcorn presents the case against abortion in a way that is compassionate, non-judgmental, and supported by scientific research and historical notes. Although the book is not an all-encompassing treatise, it does discuss the ‘big questions’ associated with abortion without using the Bible – rape, incest, medical complications, etc. If you are pro-life, this book will help you to be able to explain why. If you are pro-abortion, this book would be useful to read for understanding the ‘other side’s’ reasoning. If you are on the fence, this book would be a useful resource in beginning to form your opinion.
Alcorn addresses the issue from the woman’s and from the child’s standpoint, advocating that abortion is a crime against both parties and highlighting inconsistencies in the pro-abortion position. In the child’s defense, Alcorn establishes the fetus’ identity as a human who is independent from his/her mother by examining when life begins and what constitutes humanity and ‘meaning’ in life. Defending the woman, the author stresses that she is a victim whose welfare is gravely affected when she harms her child. Although some issues seem to be addressed only briefly, I appreciated the author’s dedication of chapters to ways of helping women and to how those who have participated in aborting a child can find healing and peace. Finally, the author was careful to cite his sources. In this small book (only 136 pages), the author included 13 pages of endnotes in which he cited the sources of his information, which would allow the skeptical reader to explore more deeply his claims.
I would recommend this book. Abortion is a controversial issue that deserves our attention, and this book is informative and convincing yet tactful presentation of the pro-life position.
Alcorn addresses the issue from the woman’s and from the child’s standpoint, advocating that abortion is a crime against both parties and highlighting inconsistencies in the pro-abortion position. In the child’s defense, Alcorn establishes the fetus’ identity as a human who is independent from his/her mother by examining when life begins and what constitutes humanity and ‘meaning’ in life. Defending the woman, the author stresses that she is a victim whose welfare is gravely affected when she harms her child. Although some issues seem to be addressed only briefly, I appreciated the author’s dedication of chapters to ways of helping women and to how those who have participated in aborting a child can find healing and peace. Finally, the author was careful to cite his sources. In this small book (only 136 pages), the author included 13 pages of endnotes in which he cited the sources of his information, which would allow the skeptical reader to explore more deeply his claims.
I would recommend this book. Abortion is a controversial issue that deserves our attention, and this book is informative and convincing yet tactful presentation of the pro-life position.
October 27, 2022
UPDATE: I must admit, after doing more research (and watching how white Evangelicals have leveraged abortion in the US) that I am much closer to a pro-choice position (in late 2022). I still think a robust intersectional discussion is needed far more often than it happens; I also (now) know that the typical Evangelical anti-abortion stance was invented to deflect from racism in Christian institutions. The status of the unborn was largely left to personal Christian conscience until the 1970s.
PREVIOUS REVIEW (4 stars):
I appreciated this book, which Randy Alcorn devotes (largely) to explaining the medical and logical reasons why abortion is wrong, but always with a feminist sensibility and a caring heart.
As a Canadian, I am honestly not certain that making abortion illegal (even though I believe it is murder) would improve the moral landscape in my country. Should women who procure abortions be put in prison along with their doctors? This is the question he does not answer, and I wish he would have.
This book reminded me again why, as a gay and disabled Evangelical Christian, I affirm a pro-life position. I will continue to do what I can so that, even if abortion remains legal (as it is likely to do given Canada's legal system), abortion ceases to be because we have removed the intersectional oppressions that give rise to the perceived need for abortions.
PREVIOUS REVIEW (4 stars):
I appreciated this book, which Randy Alcorn devotes (largely) to explaining the medical and logical reasons why abortion is wrong, but always with a feminist sensibility and a caring heart.
As a Canadian, I am honestly not certain that making abortion illegal (even though I believe it is murder) would improve the moral landscape in my country. Should women who procure abortions be put in prison along with their doctors? This is the question he does not answer, and I wish he would have.
This book reminded me again why, as a gay and disabled Evangelical Christian, I affirm a pro-life position. I will continue to do what I can so that, even if abortion remains legal (as it is likely to do given Canada's legal system), abortion ceases to be because we have removed the intersectional oppressions that give rise to the perceived need for abortions.
August 23, 2007
Before reading this book, I knew in my heart that I was pro-life. I guess I really never put much thought into why, other than it seems right to me. In "Why Pro-Life?" Randy Alcorn discusses the scientific reasons why abortion hurts mothers, babies and society. He makes a compelling case for when a baby is "alive." Alcorn explains how many post-abortion mothers suffer severe physical and emotional effects for years afterward. Most of his information is backed up with more than one source. He draws interesting parallels between the arguments of pro-abortion activists and history's pro-slavery, and pro-genocide rationalizations. The gruesome descriptions of the abortion procedure made my stomach turn, but it is important to recognize that fetuses have human bodies, brain waves, heartbeats, and life.
This is a must read book. No issue is more divisive than abortion. It is important to know what you believe.
This is a must read book. No issue is more divisive than abortion. It is important to know what you believe.
March 21, 2017
Pastoral and sensitive, but uncompromising on the truth. I appreciated that Alcorn doesn't merely pick out a few verses of Scripture to show what God thinks about abortion; he relentlessly invites us as both thinking and feeling humans to reconsider the poor arguments made in favor of killing unborn children. The only evidence put forward that I wasn't entirely convinced by was the sociological statistics pertaining to women who have abortions. That being said, I think Alcorn's concern for the mother is a very necessary component for this debate. For the pro-life argument must - as the author says a few times - show they are not merely pro-birth or unconcerned about the mothers involved
December 23, 2018
Randy Alcorn takes on a big and divisive topic in this small book, so it's inevitable that he would fall short in some ways. All in all, I wasn't displeased by this book, but I wasn't impressed enough to say I liked it. As a Christian woman from a pro-life background, I'm going to need more than opinion to sway me on this. This review may be kind of disorganized and ramble-y, but so was the book, so I won't apologize.
Alcorn, obviously, is of the pro-live movement. His stance is that life begins at conception (as opposed to implantation, or development of the heart or brain). He holds that stance very firmly, repeatedly declaring it be a fact (this gets annoying in the first few chapters, but keep going. He does move on). The trouble is, he doesn't have anything to back up that "fact". There is no scientific OR biblical evidence that conclusively states that that is the truth.
The difference between conception and implantation became important when Alcorn uses it to advocate the "fact" (really, opinion) that contraceptives cause abortion. Since Alcorn and I disagreed on this matter rather early on, the rest of the book after that felt like talking to a wall. It didn't get better when he called birth-control users child abusers. Alcorn is free to hold that belief, and it seems his heart is in the right place, but he's unyielding on this stance which is based on an unfounded opinion.
Simply put, Randy Alcorn is a man. While he has done his share of reading (and writing) on fetal development, he seems rather blind to some of the realities of reproduction. I'm not saying he's a bad person. He's coming from an angle : Don't murder babies. This is a good angle to take. But in his focus on baby's life, he's overlooked the woman's.
First of all, getting pregnant involves two people of different sexes. So why are we only policing one? If life begins when a sperm meets an egg, isn't the most effective way to reduce abortion to keep that sperm away from the egg? In other words: Control your noodle, lads. Alcorn never discusses this possibility, no doubt because it's abhorrent to men everywhere. But really if you don't want so many pregnant women, you should be supporting better sex ed and yes, decrease in sexual activity for men. Yet no pro-life man ever addresses stopping abortion in this obvious way. Interesting. Hmm.
What Alcorn did discuss was that pregnancy is actually not that bad! According to him. Talk to any group of women, and you'll learn otherwise. There are health risks, economic drawbacks, and many women do face consequences at work for having kids. Many women suffer from post-natal complications up to a year after giving birth. And bills. Bills, bills, bills. No, birth is not as simple as heading down to your local hospital and spending an afternoon being tended by loving nurses. Then there's the after. Alcorn claims that having a baby shouldn't make that much of a difference, since women can still work and send their kids to daycare. Hah! Not when daycare costs half your paycheck, you noodle! It's been said before, and deserves to be said again: If men are allowed to abandon a pregnancy with no consequences, why can't a woman?
(Because it's morally wrong, obviously, but why is it only wrong for us? Why are we always left being the last moral bastion in a culture where men are always yelling about their own perfect authority and strong leadership?)
Look, I agree with Alcorn that surgical abortion is murder; children after the first trimester are identifiably human, with all the parts and pieces of a human being. His arguments on that front were very convincing, and he's right that people need to be educated about fetal development and options other than abortion. But he's coming at the problem from the wrong angle. Pro-lifers who are targeting pregnant women in their outreach are coming to the battle a little too late. If you want to stop abortion, you need to address the myriad of social issues that put women in that position. Poverty, marital abuse, lack of education, lack of resources, and so on. And you have to listen to women.
Margaret Sanger, for example fought for women's reproductive rights not because she was eeevvvuuuuuulll, but because her own mother went through 18 pregnancies in 22 years. Margaret herself spent a lot of her childhood responsible for her surviving siblings, so of course she, like millions of women throughout history, went looking for a way of life that didn't involve being constantly pregnant. Now imagine if Sanger's father had given his wife a break instead of constantly impregnating her until she reached the sweet release of menopause. But no one expects better behavior from men; doing the right thing is for women, amirite?
This is especially relevant when one remembers that the majority of women getting abortions are not the stereotyped 'slutty' non-white teenage girls. They're white women, adult women. Many of them identify as religious, many of them have already had a child. Most are poor, and many cite fear of being a single mother as a reason for wanting an abortion. These women want a way out not because they're evil whores, but because they don't want a kid. So how do you reach those women? How do you save their babies? You're going to have to start with their relations with men.
(Wow, it's almost like God intended for men to be providers and protectors and men...don't do that. It's almost like men's abdication of moral or physical responsibility has far-reaching consequences. Who could have thought?)
In Chapter Ten, Alcorn says something that sums up what I'm trying to get at: "Abortion fosters the attitude, "My comfort and happiness come first -- even if I have to disregard the rights of an innocent person to get them.". I agree with him. But honey, where do you think we learned that attitude from? You lost the fight against abortion when the Sexual Revolution happened ; in other words, when women began to be allowed to live in the way that men always have. Even Alcorn quotes Margaret Sanger, acknowledging that abortion is an attempt to get at"unlimited sexual gratification without the burden of unwanted children". In other words, we want what men have always taken for granted.
The best way to stop abortion is to go back in time, make men behave themselves and be responsible for their dicks. Till that happens, the fight against abortion will always be a losing one. Is that wrong? Yes. But if you want to change it, there's another mission field right up the road that will accomplish the same ends: It's women. Take care of women. Protect them, educate them, employ them, fight against those who would discriminate against them. You know, like you were supposed to be doing all along.
It wasn't all bad. I appreciated that Alcorn spoke to the responsibility of the church and listed many ways that Christians can get involved (aside from going to abortion clinics and screaming at pregnant women). He acknowledged that women deserve compassion rather than judgment, and has apparently acted on his beliefs. After I finished the book, I did something that I now have to do with all religious men: I googled whether or not he supported Donald Trump, so that I can then know whether he is a good person with a functioning brain. In Alcorn's case, I found this article. So though I disagreed with Alcorn on some of the points of this book, I came away impressed with him as a person. As I said above, I think he's trying to do the right thing, and is obviously deeply compassionate. He just needs some fact-checking.
Alcorn, obviously, is of the pro-live movement. His stance is that life begins at conception (as opposed to implantation, or development of the heart or brain). He holds that stance very firmly, repeatedly declaring it be a fact (this gets annoying in the first few chapters, but keep going. He does move on). The trouble is, he doesn't have anything to back up that "fact". There is no scientific OR biblical evidence that conclusively states that that is the truth.
The difference between conception and implantation became important when Alcorn uses it to advocate the "fact" (really, opinion) that contraceptives cause abortion. Since Alcorn and I disagreed on this matter rather early on, the rest of the book after that felt like talking to a wall. It didn't get better when he called birth-control users child abusers. Alcorn is free to hold that belief, and it seems his heart is in the right place, but he's unyielding on this stance which is based on an unfounded opinion.
Simply put, Randy Alcorn is a man. While he has done his share of reading (and writing) on fetal development, he seems rather blind to some of the realities of reproduction. I'm not saying he's a bad person. He's coming from an angle : Don't murder babies. This is a good angle to take. But in his focus on baby's life, he's overlooked the woman's.
First of all, getting pregnant involves two people of different sexes. So why are we only policing one? If life begins when a sperm meets an egg, isn't the most effective way to reduce abortion to keep that sperm away from the egg? In other words: Control your noodle, lads. Alcorn never discusses this possibility, no doubt because it's abhorrent to men everywhere. But really if you don't want so many pregnant women, you should be supporting better sex ed and yes, decrease in sexual activity for men. Yet no pro-life man ever addresses stopping abortion in this obvious way. Interesting. Hmm.
What Alcorn did discuss was that pregnancy is actually not that bad! According to him. Talk to any group of women, and you'll learn otherwise. There are health risks, economic drawbacks, and many women do face consequences at work for having kids. Many women suffer from post-natal complications up to a year after giving birth. And bills. Bills, bills, bills. No, birth is not as simple as heading down to your local hospital and spending an afternoon being tended by loving nurses. Then there's the after. Alcorn claims that having a baby shouldn't make that much of a difference, since women can still work and send their kids to daycare. Hah! Not when daycare costs half your paycheck, you noodle! It's been said before, and deserves to be said again: If men are allowed to abandon a pregnancy with no consequences, why can't a woman?
(Because it's morally wrong, obviously, but why is it only wrong for us? Why are we always left being the last moral bastion in a culture where men are always yelling about their own perfect authority and strong leadership?)
Look, I agree with Alcorn that surgical abortion is murder; children after the first trimester are identifiably human, with all the parts and pieces of a human being. His arguments on that front were very convincing, and he's right that people need to be educated about fetal development and options other than abortion. But he's coming at the problem from the wrong angle. Pro-lifers who are targeting pregnant women in their outreach are coming to the battle a little too late. If you want to stop abortion, you need to address the myriad of social issues that put women in that position. Poverty, marital abuse, lack of education, lack of resources, and so on. And you have to listen to women.
Margaret Sanger, for example fought for women's reproductive rights not because she was eeevvvuuuuuulll, but because her own mother went through 18 pregnancies in 22 years. Margaret herself spent a lot of her childhood responsible for her surviving siblings, so of course she, like millions of women throughout history, went looking for a way of life that didn't involve being constantly pregnant. Now imagine if Sanger's father had given his wife a break instead of constantly impregnating her until she reached the sweet release of menopause. But no one expects better behavior from men; doing the right thing is for women, amirite?
This is especially relevant when one remembers that the majority of women getting abortions are not the stereotyped 'slutty' non-white teenage girls. They're white women, adult women. Many of them identify as religious, many of them have already had a child. Most are poor, and many cite fear of being a single mother as a reason for wanting an abortion. These women want a way out not because they're evil whores, but because they don't want a kid. So how do you reach those women? How do you save their babies? You're going to have to start with their relations with men.
(Wow, it's almost like God intended for men to be providers and protectors and men...don't do that. It's almost like men's abdication of moral or physical responsibility has far-reaching consequences. Who could have thought?)
In Chapter Ten, Alcorn says something that sums up what I'm trying to get at: "Abortion fosters the attitude, "My comfort and happiness come first -- even if I have to disregard the rights of an innocent person to get them.". I agree with him. But honey, where do you think we learned that attitude from? You lost the fight against abortion when the Sexual Revolution happened ; in other words, when women began to be allowed to live in the way that men always have. Even Alcorn quotes Margaret Sanger, acknowledging that abortion is an attempt to get at"unlimited sexual gratification without the burden of unwanted children". In other words, we want what men have always taken for granted.
The best way to stop abortion is to go back in time, make men behave themselves and be responsible for their dicks. Till that happens, the fight against abortion will always be a losing one. Is that wrong? Yes. But if you want to change it, there's another mission field right up the road that will accomplish the same ends: It's women. Take care of women. Protect them, educate them, employ them, fight against those who would discriminate against them. You know, like you were supposed to be doing all along.
It wasn't all bad. I appreciated that Alcorn spoke to the responsibility of the church and listed many ways that Christians can get involved (aside from going to abortion clinics and screaming at pregnant women). He acknowledged that women deserve compassion rather than judgment, and has apparently acted on his beliefs. After I finished the book, I did something that I now have to do with all religious men: I googled whether or not he supported Donald Trump, so that I can then know whether he is a good person with a functioning brain. In Alcorn's case, I found this article. So though I disagreed with Alcorn on some of the points of this book, I came away impressed with him as a person. As I said above, I think he's trying to do the right thing, and is obviously deeply compassionate. He just needs some fact-checking.
October 17, 2024
I read the translated version of this book in telugu as a teenager! Those were my formative years, and this book helped guide my understanding of the sanctity of life.
July 21, 2020
Honestly if you read the table of contents you’ve read the book. Meandering, illogical and poorly sourced. But that’s what I expect from a guy whose reasons for being anti-choice have more to do with a “feeling” than logic, science or even the Bible (which makes NO mention of abortion btw.). I felt like I did get a good insight into the fundamentalists leading the anti-choice movement and what I learned is this is less an argument about abortion and really an argument about women’s roles in society and gender.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2017
Good, concise summary of the abortion issue from a pro-life perspective
This is a brief and concise volume, not intending to be exhaustive but introductory to the issues of abortion. That being said, it is adequate in conveying the core concerns of the pro-life community. There's also possibility for further study based on all the works cited. For the price, this is the best book to recommend to someone exploring this consequential issue.
This is a brief and concise volume, not intending to be exhaustive but introductory to the issues of abortion. That being said, it is adequate in conveying the core concerns of the pro-life community. There's also possibility for further study based on all the works cited. For the price, this is the best book to recommend to someone exploring this consequential issue.
February 7, 2017
This is a small, quick read that presents the pro life argument without invoking religion. Contrary to popular belief, the pro life position is not merely religious dogma, but can be effectively argued without relying on the Scriptures. This book does just that. The author presents a lengthier argument in a separate book, but this one was a good place to begin.
November 18, 2018
Heart-breaking, enraging, moving, saddening, hopefilling.❤
April 7, 2019
Excellent.
March 22, 2021
I have stood firmly in each camp of this “debate” which for so many...even calling it a debate degrades the issue, this is much too personal an issue for everyone involved.
I was hoping to hear some level of basic scientific logic and reasoning in this book, someone calling out from the pro-life camp saying, “Stop shouting, we really can talk this through, there are things we agree on here.” But see, here’s the thing...
Both camps DO agree on some things. There are pregnancies that need to be ended. Randy Alcorn states this clearly in his book. If a mother’s life is at risk and you can not save both her and the baby...save the life you can. He is quick to tell you, “But this is NOT an abortion! This is a pro-life decision in favor of saving the mother’s life.” Well hang on now. It’s still the termination of a pregnancy, which is the definition of an abortion. Meanwhile, in the same situation, anyone who is pro-choice will tell you at a fundamental level that is why they are pro-choice, even if they believe in no abortion but that one, they believe the mother should have the right to choose to end her pregnancy to save her own life. So who is right? Is it a pro-life decision or a pro-choice decision? Ultimately...semantics, isn’t it?
Most of what I found in Alcorn’s book is what you will find from the most extreme in both camps: hatred, shouting, shame, and judgment. Alcorn espouses love and care for the pregnant mothers and their unborn children and encourages his readers to do everything to care for these women and stop them from taking the lives of their babies...while out of the other side of his mouth, he repeatedly blows fire at everyone in their lives who have said anything different to these women.
I was hoping to hear some level of basic scientific logic and reasoning in this book, someone calling out from the pro-life camp saying, “Stop shouting, we really can talk this through, there are things we agree on here.” But see, here’s the thing...
Both camps DO agree on some things. There are pregnancies that need to be ended. Randy Alcorn states this clearly in his book. If a mother’s life is at risk and you can not save both her and the baby...save the life you can. He is quick to tell you, “But this is NOT an abortion! This is a pro-life decision in favor of saving the mother’s life.” Well hang on now. It’s still the termination of a pregnancy, which is the definition of an abortion. Meanwhile, in the same situation, anyone who is pro-choice will tell you at a fundamental level that is why they are pro-choice, even if they believe in no abortion but that one, they believe the mother should have the right to choose to end her pregnancy to save her own life. So who is right? Is it a pro-life decision or a pro-choice decision? Ultimately...semantics, isn’t it?
Most of what I found in Alcorn’s book is what you will find from the most extreme in both camps: hatred, shouting, shame, and judgment. Alcorn espouses love and care for the pregnant mothers and their unborn children and encourages his readers to do everything to care for these women and stop them from taking the lives of their babies...while out of the other side of his mouth, he repeatedly blows fire at everyone in their lives who have said anything different to these women.
June 19, 2022
A great little book that manages to pack a ton of information into only about 150 pages!
The author explains and defends the pro-life position as it applies to abortion and birth-control. The main portion of the book is written with scientific evidence to support this position; then in the appendix and last chapters, the author discusses a biblical defense and explains the Gospel of Jesus.
Just a couple of minor things I noticed that I didn't care for: the author at one point states that "increasing numbers of people hijack the term pro-life to argue against capital punishment or just war…" (p 61) but then later says "pro-life does not mean being pro-life only about babies." (P 80) I'm someone who is anti-capital punishment, and I would hesitate before claiming that the U.S., where I live, only ever engages in truly just wars. It seems to me that the author wants to have it both ways here… he wants to care about the lives of unborn children and their mothers, but not so much the lives of people whom he might view as "deserving" of death. I just can't agree with him on this. Life matters. Period.
Apart from that, and one instance of profanity (included in a quotation), this is an excellent book that I highly recommend to people on either side of the life/abortion debate!
Note: Included in the text are internet links to photos of in-utero babies. I wish they had simply been printed in the book. Turning them into "homework" makes it more likely that readers will not view them.
The author explains and defends the pro-life position as it applies to abortion and birth-control. The main portion of the book is written with scientific evidence to support this position; then in the appendix and last chapters, the author discusses a biblical defense and explains the Gospel of Jesus.
Just a couple of minor things I noticed that I didn't care for: the author at one point states that "increasing numbers of people hijack the term pro-life to argue against capital punishment or just war…" (p 61) but then later says "pro-life does not mean being pro-life only about babies." (P 80) I'm someone who is anti-capital punishment, and I would hesitate before claiming that the U.S., where I live, only ever engages in truly just wars. It seems to me that the author wants to have it both ways here… he wants to care about the lives of unborn children and their mothers, but not so much the lives of people whom he might view as "deserving" of death. I just can't agree with him on this. Life matters. Period.
Apart from that, and one instance of profanity (included in a quotation), this is an excellent book that I highly recommend to people on either side of the life/abortion debate!
Note: Included in the text are internet links to photos of in-utero babies. I wish they had simply been printed in the book. Turning them into "homework" makes it more likely that readers will not view them.
August 7, 2022
This book was amazing! It shared the heart-breaking truth of what abortion really is and how people view it from a pro-abortion/ pro-choice stance. As a Christian, it helped me better understand the world's secular view on it and helped me to realize how I can reach out and try to help others who are struggling with it. Many parts of this book surprised me such as the aftereffects of those who go through with an abortion. It stated many women deal with depression, and suicidal thoughts, and are traumatized after an abortion. Why is that? Because they paid to have their child killed. Not only do the women struggle with it but also the men live with regrets afterward. I was astonished to learn that Planned Parenthood and other organizations also took the stance and said it was better not to show women ultrasounds of their babies due to guilt. Why would they have to feel guilty if it is supposedly not a baby they are looking at? It is a baby. No matter how people try to twist their words and force their opinions it will always be a human being from the moment of conception. Many parts of this book made me want to say "can't you tell this is a baby that you are killing?" Such as:
"I began an abortion on a young woman who was 17 weeks pregnant.....
Then I inserted my forceps into the uterus and applied them to the head of the fetus, which was still alive, since fetal injection is not done at the stage of pregnancy. I closed the forceps, crushing the skull of the fetus, and withdrew the forceps. The fetus, now dead, slid out more or less intact." (Dr. Warren Hern describing his work on abortions)
This is no different than crushing the skull of a fifteen-year-old, twenty, year old, forty-five-year-old, etc. Another one was:
"I could feel the baby being torn from my insides. It was really painful.....
Three-quarters of the way through the operation I sat up... In the cylinder, I saw the bits and pieces of my little child floating in a pool of blood. I screamed and jumped up off the table.... I just couldn't stop throwing up....
I had nightmares and recurring dreams about my baby. I couldn't work my job. I just lay in my bed and cried. Once, I wept so hard I sprained my ribs. Another time while I was crying, I was unable to breathe and I passed out. I was unable to walk on the beach because the playing children would make me cry. Even pampers commercials would set me into fits of uncontrollable crying."
This one literally made me want to cry. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It is so detailed and gruesome but it needs to be known.
Most times (at least when I talk to people who support pro-choice/pro-abortion) they use the instance of rape and say well people who are raped are the ones that usually get abortions because after going through something like that they don't want a baby because of that traumatizing experience. When in reality:
"Other studies have shown that pregnancies due to rape are much rarer, as few as one in a thousand cases." (pg. 82)
Most people would expect those who went through with abortions after rape to not regret it but it is in fact the exact opposite:
"Nearly all the women interviewed in this anecdotal survey said they regretted aborting their babies conceived via rape or incest. Of those giving an opinion, more than 90 percent said they would discourage other victims of sexual violence from having an abortion. On the other hand, among the women profiled in the book who conceived due to rape or incest and carried to term, not one expressed regret about her choice." (pg. 84)
This book provides so many responses to common arguments that are brought up today. It gives support and evidence to the argument that human life is valuable and precious and that it starts right from conception. We should be called to love those who are hurting from abortions and be there to try to help people realize what abortion really is, the killing of babies. I'm never saying that people go through horrible circumstances and want to find a way to forget and escape them but aborting your baby will just cause you more pain and regret in the long run. As Christians, we need to lovingly reach out and be there for them. Adoption is always a better option than taking someone's life. Psalm 139:13-14 says:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..."
"I began an abortion on a young woman who was 17 weeks pregnant.....
Then I inserted my forceps into the uterus and applied them to the head of the fetus, which was still alive, since fetal injection is not done at the stage of pregnancy. I closed the forceps, crushing the skull of the fetus, and withdrew the forceps. The fetus, now dead, slid out more or less intact." (Dr. Warren Hern describing his work on abortions)
This is no different than crushing the skull of a fifteen-year-old, twenty, year old, forty-five-year-old, etc. Another one was:
"I could feel the baby being torn from my insides. It was really painful.....
Three-quarters of the way through the operation I sat up... In the cylinder, I saw the bits and pieces of my little child floating in a pool of blood. I screamed and jumped up off the table.... I just couldn't stop throwing up....
I had nightmares and recurring dreams about my baby. I couldn't work my job. I just lay in my bed and cried. Once, I wept so hard I sprained my ribs. Another time while I was crying, I was unable to breathe and I passed out. I was unable to walk on the beach because the playing children would make me cry. Even pampers commercials would set me into fits of uncontrollable crying."
This one literally made me want to cry. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It is so detailed and gruesome but it needs to be known.
Most times (at least when I talk to people who support pro-choice/pro-abortion) they use the instance of rape and say well people who are raped are the ones that usually get abortions because after going through something like that they don't want a baby because of that traumatizing experience. When in reality:
"Other studies have shown that pregnancies due to rape are much rarer, as few as one in a thousand cases." (pg. 82)
Most people would expect those who went through with abortions after rape to not regret it but it is in fact the exact opposite:
"Nearly all the women interviewed in this anecdotal survey said they regretted aborting their babies conceived via rape or incest. Of those giving an opinion, more than 90 percent said they would discourage other victims of sexual violence from having an abortion. On the other hand, among the women profiled in the book who conceived due to rape or incest and carried to term, not one expressed regret about her choice." (pg. 84)
This book provides so many responses to common arguments that are brought up today. It gives support and evidence to the argument that human life is valuable and precious and that it starts right from conception. We should be called to love those who are hurting from abortions and be there to try to help people realize what abortion really is, the killing of babies. I'm never saying that people go through horrible circumstances and want to find a way to forget and escape them but aborting your baby will just cause you more pain and regret in the long run. As Christians, we need to lovingly reach out and be there for them. Adoption is always a better option than taking someone's life. Psalm 139:13-14 says:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..."
August 15, 2024
This is a wonderful, wonderful book. I've learned so much and it answered some questions I have. Randy Alcorn responded to so many pro-abortion arguments and questions biblically, respectfully, and logically. He not only spoke about the baby, but also the harm abortions do to their mothers, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I'm sure I will be pointing people to this book in the future.
I am staunchly pro-life and anti-abortion. This can be a very emotional issue for me. I'm not sure I would ever be able to speak publicly on abortion because I would most likely sob uncontrollably. I weep when I think about and write about this issue. This is something I'm very sensitive to. Perhaps it's because I so long to have children one day and it breaks my heart that there are some women that would give ANYTHING to have a child but are unable, and those who can do not even recognize that children are a gift. A blessing from God (Psalm 127:3-5). Perhaps it's because I've lost two siblings in the womb due to miscarriage and babies being killed in the womb reminds me of the utter loss I felt.
I don't know. But I pray that God gives me an opportunity to do something, to serve somewhere as I grow older. Please read this book. It may horrify you, but it is only revealing the truth.
I am staunchly pro-life and anti-abortion. This can be a very emotional issue for me. I'm not sure I would ever be able to speak publicly on abortion because I would most likely sob uncontrollably. I weep when I think about and write about this issue. This is something I'm very sensitive to. Perhaps it's because I so long to have children one day and it breaks my heart that there are some women that would give ANYTHING to have a child but are unable, and those who can do not even recognize that children are a gift. A blessing from God (Psalm 127:3-5). Perhaps it's because I've lost two siblings in the womb due to miscarriage and babies being killed in the womb reminds me of the utter loss I felt.
I don't know. But I pray that God gives me an opportunity to do something, to serve somewhere as I grow older. Please read this book. It may horrify you, but it is only revealing the truth.
January 29, 2023
Whew, this book packed a punch. I have realized that I am someone who takes a side on an issue without doing much research on it. I am very swayed by emotion and that always comes to bite me where it hurts! Just not wise.
This is the first time I’ve heard/read about the pro-life answers to questions like Is abortion really a women’s rights issue? What about if it’s from rape or incest? Does abortion prevent child abuse? I have always known the pro-choice side, but never the reasoning for pro-life. This book has definitely changed the way I think about/value children, motherhood and hidden (and sometimes obvious) grief that is behind abortion.
I don’t feel like I know everything there is about this topic. But, I’m glad I now know more than I did.
This is the first time I’ve heard/read about the pro-life answers to questions like Is abortion really a women’s rights issue? What about if it’s from rape or incest? Does abortion prevent child abuse? I have always known the pro-choice side, but never the reasoning for pro-life. This book has definitely changed the way I think about/value children, motherhood and hidden (and sometimes obvious) grief that is behind abortion.
I don’t feel like I know everything there is about this topic. But, I’m glad I now know more than I did.
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