From: nyikos@math.scarolina.edu (Peter Nyikos)
Subject: Randy Alcorn's Challenge to Pro-Choicers
Organization: USC  Department of Computer Science
Date: 14 Dec 92 19:19:26 GMT

Randy Alcorn has published a book, _Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice 
Arguments_, whose title is pretty self-explanatory: the author is 
obviously pro-life, pro-choice arguments are presented in brief with
lengthy rebuttals from the pro-life perspective.

However, the book is different from the usual pro-life presentation in 
that it gives fairly extensive quotations from pro-choicers even in
the midst of its rebuttals.  Even more interesting is the challenge
near the end of his introduction:

          Do I encourage people to study the prochoice position as well
	as the prolife?  Of course! Go to the prochoice sources and decide
	for yourself whether I'm stating their arguments accurately.  I'm
	completely anti-censorship on the abortion isssue.  Let's put
	all the cards on the table.  Let's not hold back any of the 
	evidence. Let's bring out the statistics, study the intrauterine
	pictures, show pictures of aborted unborns, hear from the women
	who have had abortions, both prochoicers and prolifers.  Let's
	listen to geneticists and biologists, as well as abortionists
	who are prochoice and former abortionists who are now prolife.
	Let each side present its case, and may the best case win.  Truth
	is always served by a full disclosure of the facts.  Error has
	good reason to fear such disclosure.

	...If you are prochoice, I ask you to read this book with the open
	mind our society claims to value so highly.  If the prolife side
	proves to be as senseless and irrational as you have been led to
	believe, fine.  You can give it the first-hand rejection it
	deserves.  But if the prolife position proves to be sensible
	and accurate, then you must rethink your position even if doing so
	is not politically correct or popular in your circles of influence.
	Fair enough?

	...If you are prolife, I ask you to think through the foundations
	for the position you hold so that you will be able to hold to it 
	more firmly in the face of continuous attack.  It is not enough to
	say, "I know I'm right, though I'm not sure why."...
	
	   If the prolife position is wrong, we should abandon it.  If it
	is right, then innocent human lives depend on our ability and
	willingness to persuade others of the truth about the value,
	dignity, and rights of unborn children.  I hope this book will
 	serve you well in the task of education and communication, as you
	speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Among others, the book is endorsed by former abortion clinic owner Carol
Everett, who calls it "Must reading for every citizen in the
nation--prolife or prochoice."  It is available in paperback from 
Multnomah Press, 10209 SE Division Street, Portland, Oregon 97220.
I paid $8.00 for my copy, but that might have been at a discount.

I wonder whether Randy Alcorn is aware of the existence of talk.abortion.
I plan to write him and ask him for permission to quote extensively from
this book into talk.abortion, offering to send him rejoinders to his 
rebuttals, and parts of the ensuing discussion that seems relevant to me.
He may find he gets more than he bargained for when issuing the above 
challenge, though I for one am confident that the pro-life side can hold
its own.

The book is arranged in a format which makes such a treatment ideal.  The
pro-choice arguments are numbered from 1 through 39, and the pro-life
rebuttals are arranged by paragraphs headed by lower-case letters.
I will propose to Mr. Alcorn that this format be extended in future 
editions of the book or new books based on it, so that one can easily
look up arguments on whatever one is most curious about at the moment.

Peter Nyikos



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