Compare Rice's analysis with evangelical Francis Schaeffer's WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE? The predictions in both analyses are right on the mark! And they largely agree on how we got into our legal and cultural situation of disrespect for life. But not totally. Rice identifies the first step(s) onto the slippery slope more accurately than does Schaeffer: accept the contraceptive mentality, and you are onto the slippery slope leading to abortion and onward. Rely on your reading of the Bible apart from a Spirit-given infallible teaching ministry in the Church, and you'll be blown to and by winds other than the Spirit. But it would be so helpful if Rice's natural law analyses had been framed in an explicitly evangelical, that is, evangelical Catholic terminology. This lacuna in Rice's book is also evident in his more recent, magnificent THE WINNING SIDE: QUESTIONS ON LIVING THE CULTURE OF LIFE, which includes much of the material from BEYOND ABORTION. Evangelicals and orthodox Catholics of a more liberal political persuasion will protest a few statements, albeit not those affecting the heart of the ethical analysis of our nation and its constitutional history. BEYOND ABORTION is readable and on the mark.

This short book by Notre Dame law professor Charles E. Rice is still the best overview of the political, specifically legal, philosophies which have fueled the rise of abortion in 20th century America. I first read this slim volume in law school, and was able to see how seriously legal positivism and related theories have affected public thinking on leading moral questions of the day, notably abortion. Designed for non-professionals and accessible to those not approaching the topic from a Catholic perspective. I have recommended the work many times over the years.

This book is a great introduction to how the Natural Law fits into Catholic philosophy.

The book is very well organized, with each question being independent of the other as much as possible without sacrificing relevance. The writing style is very good, the chronological orders of the questions are great, and the questions are common. Overall the book was great reading and the answers were good. I especially enjoyed Prof. Rice's talks about how the Catholic Church views man (as a relational creature), views the family in relation to the state, and her sexual ethics.

With all that said, there are some negatives that bring the book down from five stars to 3.5 stars. One negative being that this book was made more for the already Catholic who would like to know how the Natural Law fits into Catholic theology. It is much less a defense and understanding of the Natural law than it is an understanding of how the Natural law fits into Catholic philosophy, and certain Catholic teachings with regard to the natural law. When I received the book, I was looking more for a general understanding of the Natural Law, with emphasis on different schools of thought on the subject, and where they differ. I was also looking for systematic ways of applying the Natural Law in our everyday life. This was not given in much detail at all. The author relied too heavily on what the Catholic Church already teaches on certain topics, than on how I can arrive to that conclusion on my own reason. I would like to have seen the emphasis reversed. Because of the books strong reliance on Catholic teachings and presuppositions, anyone who is investigating the Natural Law as an alternative to the liberalism of today, and who doesn't have an already preconceived respect for the Catholic Church will not have a lot to gain from this book.

Another, and more important, negative is some sections are only introductory answers to very complex issues. Sometimes I would have liked the author to give other areas less attention and maybe concentrate more on more prevalent areas, especially areas where there is much more confusion and the Catholic Churches reasoning so strong. Areas like Contraception, Abortion, and even surrogate motherhood could have received more attention. Or at least recommended great books to read more on the subject. Authors like, Janet Smith, Peter Kreeft, and Fracis Beckwith each provide outstanding additions, and much more depth to many of the topics covered in this book. Yet Charles Rice does not recommend any of them. Now I can understand his desire to keep the answers general and succinct. I realize there are far too many important topics in this book to give each answer its due time. I just often wonder if a little more space for certain loaded questions would have been better.

I would just like to end with, if you are expecting how I characterized the book on my first comment, than this book is right for you. I couldn't recommend it more.

This is by far the best books I've ever read on the subject of the natural law. The Q&A format is very well suited to the subject and he asks all of the right questions to the point that you can anticipate them -- it really flows smoothly. I highly recommend the book for religious-minded law students who want an alternative to the prevailing modern law theories where God is absent from the discourse. Charles Rice does a very thorough, scholarly job with this book. Highly recommended.

Charles E. Rice demonstrates his capability as a legal scholar in this great treatment of natural law. Not only is this book filled with great information on traditional natural law thinkers such as Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas, it is full of contemporary legal examples that concretize the discussion and bring natural law out of the abstract realm into our everyday lives.

What struck me is that this book analyzes natural law within a legal context: many of the contributing authors are attorneys as well as philosopher. This is particularly helpful to our nation today, as I think more citizens will have to reassess the role of the judiciary these days.

For the latter half of the 20th century, worries over "judicial acitivism" and judges' making decisions that should be made by legislatures have been the domain of conservatives, with Roe v. Wade probably being the chief example. But now liberals have said similar things about the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision. It is high time for intelligent discussion, and this book is a solid foundation for a dialogue.

By looking at natural law historically, legally, and philosophically, the authors of this book examine how natural law works and various challenges to it. This book is a very good introduction, and I have come away with a greater respect for natural law and its vital role in our nation, and also new questions to pursue (and more books to buy...).

The contributing authors are an impressive team of formidable thinkers, and while most of the writers clearly come from a religious background, the are pretty good about keeping what they say applicable to a secular society (the last two essays tend to be more theological than philosophical, and I thought that hurt their impact).

I think MacIntyre's essay on the role of the ordinary person in natural law is particularly valuable: if the American citizenry cannot execute sound moral judgment, our nation as a constitutional republic is in grave danger. Fuller's essay on Locke's struggles with natural law is an honest and challenging look at natural law's theoretical chinks. Riley's essay on tort law gave excellent lessons on liability, but with lawsuits being as common as they are nowadays, I would have hoped for more practical insights on today's situation, and possible remedies.

On the whole, this book is a good read and a good challenge. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in ethics or concerned about the present condition of the United States.

Common Truths: New Perspectives On Natural Law is a collection consisting of cogent remarks and prescient essays: Are There Moral Truths That Everyone Knows? (Ralph McInerny); Natural Law: The Legacy of Greece and Rome (J. Rufus Fears); Aquinas, Natural Law, and the Challenges of Diversity (John Jenkins); John Locke's Reflections on Natural Law and the Character of the Modern World (Timothy Fuller); Theories of Natural Law in the Culture of Advanced Modernity (Alasdair MacIntyre); What Dignity Means (Virginia Black); Natural Law and Positive Law (Robert P. George); Natural Rights and the Limited of Constitutional Law (Russell Hittinger); Natural Law and Sexual Ethics (Janet E. Smith); Contract Law and Natural Law (Edward J. Murphy); Tort Law and Natural Law (William N. Riley); Criminal Law and Natural Law (Ian A.T. McLean); and Natural Law in the Twenty-First Century (Charles E. Rice). Common Truths is scholarly, intellectually stimulating reading for anyone wanting to better understand and appreciate the permanent norms of human action and their relationships to a moral and political life.

I really would like to see the third edition of this book. I would have given four stars but the material is not as current as I would like. Still, it offers a good foundation for health communication campaigns. My favorite chapter was the last by Wallack: a critique of the field and the future of health communications. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in health communications but would suggest they also find more recent research and scholarly articles.

Texas certainly needs a good book on its flag history; unfortunately, "Flags of Texas" isn't that book. This is a revision of "A Concise History of Early Texas" (1964), which itself was based on the Mamie Wynne Cox's greatly flawed "The Romantic Flags of Texas" (1936).

Mistakes abound--the silly conception of the "Indian Flag," the use of archaic French and Spanish flags no longer in use at the time of the exploration of Texas, the use of the current Mexican flag when the text speaks of "Mexico's Historic Flag," a discussion of the "De Zavala Flag" when no such flag existed, the apocryphal designation of Charles Stewart as the designer of the current Lone Star Flag, and the statement that the Confederate "Star and Bars Flag" was "the first official Confererate flag." There is no bibliography, probably because most--if not all--of the research came from reading Mamie Wynne Cox's book.

Fortunately Texas flag scholarship is improving with newer works such as Alan K. Sumrall's "Battle Flags of Texas in the Confederacy" and flag entries in "The New Handbook of Texas."