My book Why ProLife? was first published in 2004. With 300,000 English copies in print, and translations in 18 other languages, I have been amazed at its far-reaching impact. We’ve heard many heart-warming stories about lives touched by the book, such as this one:
Your book on abortion, Why ProLife?, helped me find the courage to talk to a friend and keep her from having one. I spent so much time praying for her to turn around and come to a life of purity. She read your book and asked me why it was such a big deal to me and I was able to bring her closer to Christ. —M.L.
But in the eight years since the book was first written, technology has changed, statistics have become dated, and there are new resources, stories, and discussions. It was time for a thorough update and revision. With the help of others, I have gone over every sentence in the book, revising and updating. Hardly a paragraph of the original has remained unedited, and much new material has been added. The changes are so substantial that the revision is 50% larger than the original. I’m pleased to say that although I believe the original was a good book, the expanded and updated version is a better one. Those who read the original will find much more to think about and to use.
Why address the issue of abortion in the first place? Because abortion, the defining issue of our age, is America’s most frequently performed surgery on women. The Guttmacher Institute, a polling agency for the abortion industry, reports that four out of every ten pregnancies are ended by abortion. [1] Virtually every family, at some level, has been touched by abortion.
The stakes in this issue are extraordinarily high. If the prochoice position is correct, the freedom to choose abortion is a basic civil right. If the prolife position is correct, human casualties from the 3,315 surgical abortions occurring in America every day (not even counting chemical abortions, some of them from contraceptives) total more than all lives lost in the September 11, 2001, destruction of the World Trade Center.
A recent Gallup poll indicated 27 percent of Americans say they are very strongly prochoice, while 22 percent say they are very strongly prolife. Taken together, that means 49 percent of Americans hold a strong view on abortion, either for or against. [2] The other 51 percent are not as firm in their opinions. However, even these “uncertain” mostly believe that “abortion is morally wrong” and 39 percent of them favor restrictions in all but a select few circumstances. Hence, the majority of Americans still value life and can still be influenced in their thinking about abortion.
One thing is certain: If abortion really does kill children and harm women, then there’s too much at stake to remain silent and do nothing.
May God use this new book in even greater ways to educate others, especially women who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy, and to save the lives of unborn babies.
Sources
[1] Guttmacher Institute, “Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States,” August 2011, https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states. (Note: The information on this page is updated annually, and no longer shows the identical numbers referenced in 2011.)
[2] Lydia Saad, “Americans Still Split along ‘Pro-Choice,’ ‘Pro-Life’ Lines,” Gallup Politics, May 23, 2011, http://www.gallup.com/poll/147734/Americans-Split-Along-Pro-Choice-Pro-Life-Lines.aspx.
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