The following is from the Foreword to Robert E. Cooke and others, ed., “The Terrible Choice: The Abortion Dilemma” (New York: Bantam Books, 1968), ix-xi, x.

“…I fear the power of choice over life or death at human hands. I see no human being whom I could ever trust with such power–not myself, not any other. Human wisdom, human integrity are not great enough. Since the fetus is a creature already alive and in the process of development, to kill it is to choose death over life. At what point shall we allow this choice? For me the answer is–at no point, once life has begun. At no point, I repeat, either as life begins or as life ends, for we who are human beings cannot, for our own safety, be allowed to choose death, life being all we know.”

Pearl S. Buck. [Buck, the daughter of missionaries to China, was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1938. Her most famous novel was “The Good Earth.”]

Editor’s note. This appeared at clinicquotes.com.

Stephen Esposito, RN

Paramedic & Registered Nurse at University of Florida | Website

Stephen Esposito has accumulated 11 years of experience in the healthcare sector, having worked as both a Paramedic (NRP) and Registered Nurse (RN). He has gained experience in a range of settings, including ground and helicopter ambulance (CCP-C, CFRN), emergency room, ICU, primary care, specialty care, psychiatric, and wilderness medicine. Additionally, he has a long-standing interest in preventative medicine and contributes to the healthcare industry through content marketing. He is a meticulous and methodical writer, who is attentive to deadlines, accuracy, and ethical considerations.