This timely, tough-minded work examines the implications of the church's distinctive characteristics in relation to the most heated moral crisis of our age. Writing from an ecumenical perspective, the authors explore the traditional "marks" of the church — the Word and the sacraments — and ask what difference the church can and should make in the lives of human beings affected by abortion. No other book has approached the issue of abortion from this perspective; no other book offers such sound practical help.