Novels Help Convey Pro-Life Perspective

Stephanie McAllister's breakup with Sonny Shamrock was so devastating that she never told him of her pregnancy. Instead, she aborted the baby.

Stephanie dropped out of church in the suburban town of Westhaven, Miss., and became a reporter on women's affairs for a metropolitan newspaper.

"A Scent of Jasmine," a novel, begins 14 years later, when health issues bring Stephanie, now 35, back to Dr. Ward's clinic, where her abortion was performed.

There she meets Libby Anderson, the 14-year-old adopted daughter of her former pastor. Libby is picketing against abortion at the clinic.

Stephanie is unmoved by Libby's passion for the unborn but does promise to use her skills as a reporter to help Libby find her biological mother. Stephanie increasingly struggles with her pro-choice views as her love for Libby grows. But the search for Libby's mother is complicated by a death in Westhaven -- and as a funeral turns to chaos, Stephanie and the town are forever changed.