Doubts about abortion, however, were finally confirmed when ultrasound technology allowed him to to view the development of the child in the womb. He stopped performing abortions at the end of the 70's, made a video -- "The Silent Scream" -- in 1985, and joined the pro-life movement. "I know the abortion issue as perhaps no one else does," Dr. Nathanson writes. His expertise and prominence make this an informative, compelling book.

Readers will find much more than autobiography in its pages. The author's recollection of his physician father makes fascinating reading by itself. Dr. Nathanson's description of an abortion in lay terms is valuable and revealing. A gruesome chapter on abortion malpractice and his discussion of RU-486 are must reading for all who deliberate public policy. Historians, who focus on causation, will be intrigued by Dr. Nathanson's rendering of the social changes in the 1960's. There are important essays on the Hippocratic oath, fetal tissue research, and the prospect of physician-assisted suicide.

Shortly after this book was published, Dr. Nathanson's journey across the medical, political, and spiritual chasm caused by abortion led him to Catholicism. "The Hand of God" finally stands with the great confessional works. He writes, "The usual and customary progression is: Belief in God and His splendid gift of life leads the believer to defend it -- and become pro-life. With me, it was just the opposite: Perversely, I journeyed from being pro-life to belief in God."