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The author once had a classmate who had no legs and only one arm. These physical deformities were not the result of an accident or a birth defect. Instead, the limbs had been severed by a doctor in an unsuccessful abortion attempt during the first trimester of pregnancy. Despite these severe handicaps Arens’ classmate went on to graduate with honors from Michigan State University, an amazing feat considering the fact that, in the eyes of many, that same honor student was not a person before birth. In her informative and challenging book on the history, practice, and promotion of abortion in modern society, the author advises reexamining our “choice” in the matter.
Arens first looks at the origins of Planned Parenthood and its founder, Margaret Sanger. Sanger, an outspoken proponent of eugenics, believed that the solution for many of society’s problems could be found in the selective elimination of “undesirables.” Quoting from Sanger’s books and private letters, the author shows that the list of those unwanted included people labeled as “morons” and “defectives.” Although Planned Parenthood in recent years has distanced itself from its origins, the author contends it is still undermining both society’s moral standards and its religious beliefs. In the second part of the book, after warning that the following section is of a highly graphic nature, Arens describes some of the disturbing procedures of abortion and the legal loopholes that allow it to be performed in many instances even into the third trimester.
Using the personal testimonies of former abortion practitioners, excerpts from medical journals attesting to the awareness and early development of the fetus, and offering faith in Christ for those who have been affected by abortion, the author makes a strong case for the elimination of the practice.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review