Book Review: Three Approaches to Abortion

Pages: 133
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Year: 2002
Author: Peter Kreeft

Admittedly I was some what unprepared for this book after having read (almost all of) Kreeft's Socratic dialogues. As the front cover suggests, Kreeft does take a "thoughtful and compassionate" approach to the "issue" of abortion. At the same time, however, his approach is very directed and may come off as presumptuous, even condescending, especially in the first chapter ("The Apple Argument Against Abortion"). The reason for this, it seems to me, is that Kreeft is assuming a particular kind of reader has either purchased or been given this book (by a friend perhaps) and that this sort of reader is quite insistent in their pro-choice views, though ultimately self-refuting (contradictory, and perhaps ignorant).

Kreeft's first argument, as the chapter title suggests, is that we are all metaphysicians who really know what an apple really is and from this foundation we can conclude (through 15 logical steps) that most of us can really know what a fetus really is. Kreeft is very adamant in this point, which is where some might take him as presumptuous or condescending:

And from this, I deduce the third principle, also as an immediate logical corollary, that we really know what some real things really are. This follows if we only add the minor premise that "an apple is some real thing."
Now that did not seem too much of a stretch, did it? Did it make you feel like a religious bigot, a dangerous fanatic, or a right-win extremist to claim that when we say "this is an apple, not a cherry", we are not talking nonsense?
(I promised above not to use rhetoric instead of logic; I did not promise not to add a little sarcastic spice to the argument. People cannot eat pepper instead of steak, but they can eat steak either with or without pepper.) ¹.

The argument itself is easy to follow, intuitive and shouldn't be beyond the grasp of even the most philosophically inept person. The chapter deals with the definition of personhood, "what is" a human being, the inconsistency of skepticism in allowing abortion and the relation between society and morals.

The second chapter is entitled "Why we Fight: A Pro-Life Motivational Map". As the name suggests (as an aside, I've been reading Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren's book How to Read a Book, and it's apparently an unfortunate reality that people don't read chapter headings, thus have no idea what the chapter they are about to read is about) this chapter presents 15 reasons that motivate pro-life work. Some of these reasons are  "meaning," "obligation," "families," "women" and "children". The chapter is very straightforward, accurately conveying the reasons why there are those who adhere to a pro-life position. This chapter isn't meant as a philosophical treatise, only as a presentation of views. As such, Kreeft does make assumptions regarding the sanctity of life, personhood (and intrinsic value) of the fetus, etc.

The third and last chapter is entitled "What Happens when an Irresistible Force Meets and Immovable Object?" This is a Socratic dialogue between two characters - Libby ("a sassy, classy Black Feminist" and 'Isa ('[a] pro-lifer.. "Muslim Fundamentalist philosopher"). These two characters were also used in Kreefts other work (which is excellent), Refuting Moral Relativism. This chapter is a philosophical examination of the issues dealt with in chapters 1 and 2. As with all of Kreeft's Socratic dialogues, this is easy to understand and engaging to read.

In the end this is another very good effort from Kreeft, one I would recommend to anyone who is interested in or personally dealing with the "issue" of abortion.

Related posts:

1. Book Review: The UnAborted Socrates
2. Book Review: Making Sense of Suffering
3. Book Review: The Making of an Atheist
4. Book Review: Between Heaven and Hell
5. Book Review: Socrates Meets Jesus