Customer Reviews

Sacred Rights: The Case for Contraception and Abortion in World Religions

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EDITED BY DANIEL MAGUIRE, THIS BOOK TAKES AN HONEST AND INSIGHTFUL LOOK AT VARIOUS WORLD RELIGIONS AND HOW THEY STAND ON THESE CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECTS. BY ALLOWING EDUCATED AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOLARS TO SPEAK TO THEIR TRADITIONS AND CONVICTIONS THIS BOOK SHEDS A GREAT DEAL OF LIGHT ON THE VARIETY OF VIEWS AND OPTIONS AVAILABLE FROM THE RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD..IN MY VIEW,MAGUIRE HAS DONE A MASTERFUL JOB OF ASSEMBLING A TRULY BROAD SPECTRUM OF OPINION WHICH SOME WOULD DENY OR IGNORE TO THE DETRIMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, INVESTIGATION, AND REALITY..THIS IS A GREAT BOOK FOR THOSE WHO TRULY WONDER WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS RELIGION CAN APPROACH SUCH INTIMATE SUBJECTS....A GREAT BOOK TO READ AND DISCUSS...

Daniel C Maguire is professor of Moral Theological Ethics at Marquette University, a Catholic, Jesuit Institution, president of the Religious Consultation on Population, Reproductive Health and Ethics in Milwaukee, WI with a degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
With a continuation of the growth of the global population, contraception or family planning and abortion becomes very critical and moral issues that face today's family, no matter where they are living or from what religion they stem. Sometimes the views of professionals, international organizations or agencies will eventually clash with the view of clergy and religious belief.
This book has 12 chapters: a Jewish perspective, Roman Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, Islam, Hindu view, Thai Buddhism, practices in Nigeria, American Indian traditions, Chinese considerations during the late Imperial period, Taoist approaches, Jainism with a concluding chapter on reproduction and sexuality in a changing world.
There are about 80 million pregnancies globally each year with about one third unwanted or mistimed. Fifty million end up in abortion with 20 million performed under unsafe conditions and 78,000 women die each year. Not to mention the hundred of thousands with short or long-term disabilities as a result. These fact makes this book very important and efforts by governments and United Nations to decriminalize and make abortions safer should be looked upon positively.
Many of the world religions have a say upon the issue of family planning, but the attitudes and rulings have fluctuated over time. The authors of this book from various part of the world and different religions present alternative interpretations of their various religion's view upon family planning and show a more wide and more open stand than the usual conservative held views that we generally hear.
We found this book important in the continuing debate on abortion and family planning from the viewpoint of religion.