Back to the Drawing Board
Edited by Teresa R. Wagner

I don't like to make impulse buys after seeing an advertisement, but when I saw this book on-line, I promptly ordered a copy. I'm glad I did. Teresa Wagner has compiled 26 essays from a variety of pro-life leaders who look at where we have been and offer ideas for where we should go in our effort to protect and promote life. The essays examine legal, medical, political, religious, and social perspectives. The title suggests, as the text admits, that the pro-life movement needs to reexamine our goals and methods. We have not lost, but neither have we won this significant battle.

The Legal Arena

This section contains essays by Charles Rice, Terence Jeffrey, Clarke Forsythe, and John Manning Regan, Sr., that consider the legal background to the Roe v. Wade decision, the actions of lawyers and judges after the decision, and the process of appointing and confirming justices after Roe.

Medicine and Science

Bernard Nathanson offers his reflections. Nathanson was an abortion doctor and a co-founder of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws. Ultrasound technology led him to view the unborn child differently, and his attitude about abortion changed even before he became a believer. Philip Ney, Elizabeth Shadigian, and Margaret Hartshorn address the physical and emotional ramifications of abortion, and the importance of a comphrehensive approach to address the roots of the abortion mentality.

Politics and the Movement

Jack Willke surveys the development of "the pro-life movement" - highlighting groups and leaders, successes and failures. Paul Weyrich points out that we cannot trust in politics as the ultimate solution. We must promote cultural renewal. Republican Congressman Christopher Smith of New Jersey admits that the Republican Party has not been a dependable advocate of life, but he encourages us to stick with the Republican Party. I was more impressed with the selections by Joseph Sobran and Howard Phillips, who advocate leaving the Republicans to their own devices and turning to the Constitution Party. Phyllis Schlafly argues for principle rather than pragmatism in supporting candidates; we cannot identify someone as "pro-life" simply because he is better than the alternative. Raymond Flynn and Mark Stricherz describe the limited influence of pro-life members in the Democrat Party. James Dobson shares his observations in a "Letter to the Troops". Nat Hentoff, an athiest, explains why he opposes abortion.

Religion

Jean Garton leads off this section by lamenting the fact that many religious leaders have not taken a strong public stand against abortion. Daniel Lapin, a rabbi, and Adam Fuller examine traditional Jewish support for life and the modern association of Judaism with political "liberalism". A. Majid Katme, Spokesman for the Islamic Medical Association and Muslim Coordinator for the London-based Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, explains aspects of Muslim teaching on life and family, and addresses the conflicts and potential areas of cooperation between Muslims and Western groups.

I was intrigued by the perspectives of the athiest, the Jew, and the Muslim included in this book. Several of the other authors have Catholic connections. I am glad for anyone to work to protect life. I have special affinity, of course, with those who do so because of their devotion to Jesus.

Culture

Barbara Nicolosi takes a critical look at the handful of movies that have dealt with abortion (promoting it as a necessary, if perhaps regrettable, occurrence), and offers advice on creating films with alternate views. (She includes an unnecessary quotation from one of the filmmakers that contains a harsh expletive.) Judith Reisman provides a disturbing analysis of the effects of Alfred Kinsey's perverted work. Mary Hasson (mother of seven) and Miki Hill (mother of nine) offer one of the best essays in the book. They call for pro-life people to reject the selfish philosophies of our age and to put our stated principles into practice more effectively.

The Future

John Haas looks at the clash between the Hippocratic tradition and modern utilitarianism in bio-ethics, with embryonic stem-cell research as a recent battleground. Charles Donovan, Sr., offers suggestions on how and why pro-life groups should work together to oppose the extensive organization and power of Planned Parenthood. Austin Ruse conludes the book with an analysis of international attitudes toward abortion and the influence of the United Nations.

This book provided much food for thought, and it helped me to develop my understanding of how to promote life.

(St. Augustine's Press, South Bend, IN. 2003)