One might wonder why another book on abortion. Is there

anything to say except the tricky alliteration of a new slogan? Has

someone found a new message? Is there a person out there with

credentials no one else seems to have?

The answer to that last question is: “Yes.” Ron Paul is not

only a physician, but he was trained in the discipline of obstetrics

and gynecology and therefore is a the front lines in the battle

against abortion. This physician was then elected to Congress four

times and looks back on abortion as a problem he saw in

biomedical ethics as a student, then as a resident and finally as a

practitioner of obstetrics.

The fresh insights that Ron Paul, the physician, brings to

the question of abortion stem from the experience he developed as

a Member of Congress, as he contemplated the relationship

between natural rights and a free society.

It is true that some of the old arguments about rights,

viability, mother versus child, child abuse, health of the mother,

and rape are considered in these pages. There is much more. The

unique contribution found in this book is the examination of a free

society in reference to that society’s responsibilities. Perhaps

another way of stating it is that there is an examination of the

child’s rights versus the mother’s obligations. The concluding

warning is clear: a disregard for human life will not expand human

freedom.

The individual rights we all cherish are rooted in the value

we assign to human life, especially innocent human life. The

author’s credentials are unique and so is his approach to the

diverse social problem abortion has become in our day.