A little late to the party--just finished the book--but I agree that this review is a bunch of hogwash. Any mention of abortion was in the previous book, and it was quickly shot down. Roland was the only one who suggested it, and nobody agreed to it. I'm hard core pro-life--no exceptions--but even I'm not sure where I stand on aborting a half-demon baby (which is not exactly what it is anyway).
I do admit that I cringe reading every page of current King. I keep expecting the Bush bashing to begin. So far, it hasn't.
You have to read DT VII for Bush-bashing, but it is mild and tolerable.
This series was clearly a spiderweb of ideas that never really fit together and he ends up with this conglomeration of the "Many worlds, put myself in the story, wash away the myriad of continuity errors with 'the world has moved on,' get DT freaks to read the other books, and 'why the hell did I ever even start this project."
It is a free-association story. Like free association, the story is frequently interesting and has some fabulous imagery, but the majority of it makes little sense. If the psych said "apple" and King responded "paper clip", then wrote about the transcendent connection that exists where apple and paper clip are tools in a cosmic battle of good and evil with the entire universe at stake, this is what you end up with.
In the end, you have to enjoy the often riveting scenes and chuck the rest like a sweet melon with a 7 inch thick rind.