ISBN 978-1-4335-0320-7
Have you ever had a conversation with a fellow Believer and the topic of abortion comes up? Have you then been shocked by their assertion that while they personally believe that abortion is wrong, they dare not question someone else’s choice to have an abortion?
Well Scott Klusendorf begins his book by introducing just this dialogue between two Christians…and the inability of the firmly pro-life Believer to respond adequately to the other. And just as the subtitle proclaims, this is the main thrust of this excellent book: to equip Believers not only to engage the culture but the confused and even false converts among us who still look at abortion as one of many options in family planning.
I myself have had many experiences in discussing this topic at work, where the majority are not Christians and among those who do profess Christ the majority even of them believe abortion is a constitutional right so sacrosanct we dare not tamper with it. Klusendorf, through this very valuable book, does indeed provide the rest of us with the information we need to combat this error.
One of the things I like most about this book is that the main theme keeps coming back to whether the baby in the womb is human or not…a question many (but not all) of those who are pro-abortion try to avoid. As Klusendorf insists, if the baby in the womb is not human, why do so many abortion rights supporters insist we need to focus on educating people on proper birth control so that we have less abortions rather than making the procedure illegal? If it is just tissue devoid of human value then who cares? Chapter 3 of his book focuses on the inherent value of humans…read it!
Throughout his book, Klusendorf combats many of the common arguments that the pro-abortionists use, including the most silly one of asserting that the Bible is silent on the issue of abortion and, even more foolishly, that the Bible condones abortion! As he responds in his book, this begs the question once again of whether the baby is human or not, because the Bible happens to frown upon the act of murder, and if the baby in the womb is human then guess what? That’s right…abortion is the act of murdering the baby! As for the Bible condoning abortion, such a misunderstanding of Scripture is common among those who use it for their own ends without actually believing it to be the Word of God!
Since this is a review I will share only one quote from the book and this from chapter 13 of the book, where Klusendorf takes on the argument that abortion should be permitted in the case of rape. He relates how he is commonly asked whether women who are impregnated during rape should be “forced” to carry the baby of their attacker to term. He says that the abortion crusader uses this particular argument only to score points:
“…He appeals to the hard case of rape, but his appeal is flawed because it is not entirely truthful.
Here’s why: The abortion-choice position he defends is not that abortion should be legal only when a woman is raped but that abortion is a fundamental right she can exercise for any reason she wants during all nine months of pregnancy. Instead of defending this position with facts and arguments, he disguises it with an emotional appeal to rape. But this will not make his case. The argument from rape, if successful at all, would only justify abortion in cases of sexual assault, not for any reason the woman deems fit. In fact, arguing for abortion-on-demand from the hard case of rape is like trying to argue for the elimination of all traffic laws because a person might have to break one rushing a loved one to the hospital. Proving an exception does not prove a rule.
To expose his smoke screen, I ask a question: “Okay, I’m going to grant for the sake of discussion that we keep abortion legal in case of rape. Will you join me in supporting legal restrictions on abortions done for socioeconomic reasons that, as studies on your side of the issue show, make up the overwhelming percentage of abortions?”
The answer is almost always no, to which I reply, “Then why did you bring up rape except to mislead us into thinking that you support abortion only in the hard cases?” (page 175)
Ultimately the response to the issue of rape takes us back to whether the child is human or not…because if the baby is human then why would we say it is ok to kill him or her because s/he reminds us of a painful event? Would it be okay to murder a 1 yr old child for the same reason? See how it all takes us back to the humanity of the child and what being human means?
Once again, this book is very valuable…and it keeps its promise! I say this because it truly serves as an excellent resource for equipping Believers to engage the culture and stand firmly against the murder of so many children. Interestingly enough, just this morning I read about a homeless woman in New Mexico who killed her 3 yr old child and buried him in a playground. Her reason for murdering her child is that “she did not want him to grow up with no one caring about him the same way that she had grown up…” (Read the whole story HERE)
As for the response from the authorities, an officer said that “[f]or a mother to kill her own child is unfathomable. Most people can't even imagine how you could even think about doing something like that.”
Interesting isn’t it? Kill your child in the womb and you are legally protected…kill him or her outside the womb and people are shocked.
So get your hands on this book…buy it or borrow it, but you have to read it because it will truly provide you with the information you need to defend your pro-life convictions. Hopefully it will also lead you to be more proactive in ending this wholesale slaughter of our children.
God bless!
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