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Abortion and Unborn Human Life

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"Abortion and Unborn Human Life" is quite simply one of the best philosophical defenses of the pro-life position. The book is impressive in its clarity, its complete avoidance of emotional rhetoric, and Lee's willingness to address the most sophisticated pro-choice arguments.

Lee's book will be welcomed mainly by those who are interested in the _philosophical_ issues behind the abortion debate. There are no slogans, no sound-bites, no pictures of thumb-sucking foetuses here -- merely calm, rational argumentation. This is a refreshing change, and it is precisely what the abortion debate generally lacks.

As a pro-choicer, I do think Lee's arguments are flawed. His arguments in favour of foetal personhood are particularly tendentious. Nevertheless, the book presents a formidable challenge to the pro-choice position, and interested parties owe it to themselves to read it.

I have read a number of books on the abortion issue (both pro/con), and this is certainly one of the best philosophical defenses of the pro-life position. Be warned: if you're looking for partisan ranting or emotional appeals--i.e. abortion is wrong because liberals are evil people, or because God said so, or because babies are cute--this is not that book. Purely philosophical. Well thought out, well written. Anyone wishing to discuss this issue beyond simple slogans should read this book. Highly recommended.

Dr Lee offers devastating criticism of the pro-choice position on abortion. The reviewer below is a sad and tragic example of the poor argumentation that is offered for being pro-choice. While acknowledging that the unborn is a human person, still she calls this person a "parasite", the same chilling term the Nazi propaganda film "The Eternal Jew" used to describe the Jewish population.

One can only wonder how well this reviewer below read Dr. Lee's book, as he discusses abortion in the context of the life of the mother and sees it as justifiable in a sense of non-intentional taking of life based on a principle of double effect.

Additionally, Dr Lee's points would do well to show these sorts of arguments below could be also used to justify infanticide, as all children rely on their parents bodies for "life-support" whether it be through breast feeding, the administering of medicine, etc. Child support laws force parents to make use of their bodies (like go to work and pay money) in ways the dead beat parent may not wish.

Dr Lee does a fine job here of not only refuting this sort of emotional "run of the mill" argument below, but also the more sophisticated philosophical and scientific points brought forward by the pro-choice crowd. Included is a critique of the moral theory known as "consequentialism", a rebuttal of the famous "violinist argument", and a host of other very useful information.

This is one of the top books on the market regarding presenting a persuasive rational argument for the prolife view.

There are few ethical topics more controversial than abortion.Finding books on the topic is not very difficult, one needs only to search "abortion" on Amazon to find more than 10,000 results in the books category. Patrick Lee's Abortion & Unborn Human Life (hereafter AUHL) stands out as one of the better pro-life books I have read, despite one major flaw.

AUHL starts with a syllogism:

1) Intentionally killing an innocent person always is morally wrong

2) Abortion is the intentional killing of an innocent person

3) Therefore, abortion is always morally wrong.

The rest of the book (164 pages of content) serves to defend this syllogism.

Chapter one argues against the idea that unborn human beings become persons after birth. Lee's arguments are very good until he starts to argue by going against substance dualism to make his case. I think that this is a major flaw of Patrick Lee's book. Substance dualism serves as a powerful argument against abortion. Not only that, but to argue against substance dualism primarily for the sake of an ethical position doesn't make a lot of sense. Lee does introduces several philosophical arguments against dualism, but they fail to make a sufficient case against the position. This makes the rest of his case seem weaker than it is, had it been bolstered by substance dualism rather than arguing against it. It is really unfortunate, because readers may walk away thinking that the case against humans becoming persons after birth is weaker than it is.

In chapter two, Lee argues against the idea that human beings become persons during gestation. This chapter is particularly strong, and Lee introduces many arguments I hadn't thought about before. Particularly important to this argument is what it means to have "moral standing." Often, pro-life advocates forget that we sometimes don't share the same basic presuppositions as the pro-choice advocates. Lee helps to bring the focus back to the basics.

Lee argues in chapter 3 that individual human beings come to be at the moment of fertilization. This is another very strong chapter in which Lee offers scientific and philosophical reasons to accept this position.

Chapters 4 and 5 address the particularly chilling (and more recent) arguments that abortion can be justified as non-intentional killing of human beings (4) or that preventing certain consequences permit the killing of human beings (5).

Overall, AUHL is a fantastic read. Lee produces a compelling and powerful case that abortion is morally wrong, no matter what. Despite the rather large flaw of arguing against substance dualism, the book is a must-read for those interested in a philosophical defense of the pro-life position.

"As early as eight or ten weeks of gestation - the earliest time in which procured abortions are today performed - the fetus has a fully formed, beating heart; a complete brain...when photographed, is recognizably human to the naked eye; feels pain; cries; and even sucks his or her thumb." ~ pg. 3

Unless you have seen pictures of an aborted child you may not fully realize that what you are aborting is actually very much a human person. To me, the quote above was the most powerful sentence in the entire book.

Patrick Lee presents calm convincing and logical arguments for why we should not kill children in the womb. This is not light reading and requires a determined focus. It is very much a book filled with philosophical arguments that are clear and concise.

"In the embryo's case there is amble evidence that its development is intrinsically directed or guided, from fertilization onwards." ~ pg. 84

What a lot of people don't tell you is that "abortion is a highly traumatic experience." On page 153 of this book you can read all the problems that might occur if a child is aborted. They are real concerns and should be taken very seriously. I'm not sure most mothers are aware of the fact that they could be emotionally harmed by having an abortion. Women can experience deep depression, lowered self-esteem, guilt, sexual dysfunction, suicidal behaviors and more.

Even though this book is somewhat complex to read I think the arguments presented are excellent and very convincing. I would recommend this book to any woman considering an abortion and to psychologists, pastors and counselors who may help a woman make the right decision.

If you have had an abortion already or know someone who has, this
is a useful book: C.P.R.: Choice Processing and Resolution

~The Rebecca Review

This book is about 15 years old and only about 150 pages, but it rivals Beckwith's 2007 book and Kaczor's 2010 book on abortion. Lee does not waste any time. He begins interacting with the top arguments from pro-choicers like Michael Tooley, Peter Singer, Mary Anne Warren, etc. from the very first pages. The arguments from pro-choicers (and pro-infanticide) are carefully laid out using direct quotes from the pro-chociers themselves. After examining and defending their position, Lee refutes it either through sound reasoning or providing counterexamples. There is a chapter that looks at all the personhood theories, infanticide, bodily rights, and consequentialism among others.

If you are looking for a short read that deals with and refutes the best pro-choice arguments out there, this is the book to read. Beckwith and Kaczor are more thorough, but this book is on the same level of scholarship and sophistication.

As someone in the process of writing a Ph.D. in bioethics, allow me to say that this is essential reading. Not only has Patrick Lee written a great introduction to natural law thinking, he may also have written the single best pro-life book in print today. Lucid, concise, and logical, I think of this work as a standard that my thinking should be modeled after and should measure up to. I encourage all Christian philosophy students to get a copy and keep careful notes. Also, be sure to check out other writers from the same school, namely, Robert P George and John Finnis.

Finally, an absolute masterpiece of scholarship that sets us free from the political and philosophical rubbish of the past 3 decades. Lee gives us a pristine work of philosphical investigation and explanation. For those of us who are already Pro-Life, this book gives us a superb weapon in the fight against the culture of death that is America today. For the Pro-Murder (aka Pro-Choice) agenda, this book effectively refutes all their claims without appealing to religion or theology for support. As a student of Lee's, I have had the privilege of his philosophical expertise on a one-on-one basis and this book brings his sound insights to the rest of the world. Buy this book and read it today!

As a woman who is staunchly pro-choice I have never denied 'personhood' to the fetus. I am aware that left undisturned the fetus will not come out a puppy or a kitten. One might then make the leap of logic that I would agree that abortion is murder. I do not. The killing of another human being, murder if you will, is judged by degrees based on intent. There is first degree murder, which is considered the most heinous and premeditated. There is second degree murder which is less heinous than first degree but will still get you life. There is manslaughter which is a heat of passion defense and, in this society, punished to a lesser extent than first or second degree murder. Then there are those catagories of killing that are not considered "crimes" at all. These include killing during times of war or killing in self defense. I contend that abortion is always a killing done in self defense, and, therefore, morally justified.

The fetus, until it can live on its own, is a parasite. As a free and autonomous human being I should not be forced to play host to a parasite with whom I do not whish to share my body. If I decide to have a child, and that child is born with a kidney disease that will kill him or her unless they have a transplant, and if I were a perfect match, no court in the land could force me to violate the autonomy of my person and force me to give that child one of my kidneys against my will even if it meant certain death for that child. I don't see a difference between that and being forced to be life support for another person.