{"id":53567,"date":"2015-01-25T07:00:06","date_gmt":"2015-01-25T14:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=53567"},"modified":"2020-02-03T10:00:25","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T17:00:25","slug":"abortion-in-the-case-of-rape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2015\/01\/25\/abortion-in-the-case-of-rape\/","title":{"rendered":"Quick Apology: “What about pregnancy in case of rape?”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today marks the final most in my series of articles<\/a>\u00a0to mark the March For Life<\/a>. I’d like to end with a post concerning\u00a0one of the toughest\u00a0situations concerning abortion: pregnancies which are brought about by\u00a0rape or incest. Such cases, according to Planned Parenthood accounts for less than 1% of abortions. Today I would like to explain in humility how I try to respond when this difficult issue is raised.<\/p>\n

Objection<\/h2>\n

It is not unusual to find people who are against abortion, but who grant an exception for these “hard cases”. For example, I have heard the following:<\/p>\n

“Don’t misunderstand me, I think abortion is wrong, but I can’t say I’m fully pro-life. I think that if a girl gets raped and finds herself pregnant, she should be able to get an abortion, otherwise she’d have a constant reminder of what happened to her for the next nine months. It just seems cruel to force her to go through with the pregnancy. Would you really expect her to raise the child of her rapist?”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

How might you respond to this understandably emotionally-charged objection?<\/p>\n

Response<\/h2>\n

When pro-life advocates respond to pro-choice objections, there is a great emphasis on logical consistency and reasoning. However, particularly when the subject of rape is raised, this can have the unintended\u00a0consequence of making the pro-lifer appear\u00a0unfeeling and clinical.<\/p>\n

Therefore, throughout the abortion debate, but especially when the subject of rape is raised, I think it’s important to communicate a genuine compassion and empathy prior to offering the logical rebuttal. We need to show that we understand the tremendous trauma of such an event and the great burden which has now been placed on the woman without her consent.<\/p>\n

Why is abortion wrong?<\/h3>\n

When someone tells me that he thinks abortion is wrong\u00a0except in the case of rape, I usually postpone discussing the question of rape and instead first\u00a0spend a little bit of time asking\u00a0that person why<\/strong> he is generally\u00a0against\u00a0abortion.<\/p>\n

The person will usually explain that he recognizes that the unborn are defenseless human beings who therefore should\u00a0not be killed. If that is the case, I will ask if any of this\u00a0changes as a result of\u00a0the circumstances of the conception. Is the unborn child any less defenseless? Is the unborn child any less human?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The truth is that the child conceived in rape is just as valuable as the child conceived in love. Here is a one of many signs I saw at March For Life<\/a> last year:<\/p>\n

\"ConceivedFromRape\"<\/a>The woman\u00a0holding this sign was not responsible for the circumstances of her\u00a0conception.<\/p>\n

How many victims?<\/h3>\n

I think it’s also important to take a step back and ask ourselves why rape is such a terrible crime. It’s awful\u00a0because an innocent person<\/strong> has her body violated<\/strong> in an act of violence<\/strong> by a stronger aggressor.<\/strong>\u00a0Given this description, is abortion really that different?\u00a0The act of rape made one victim, but abortion makes another, compounding the first\u00a0act of violence with another.<\/p>\n

If\u00a0a rapist is brought to justice, he will not receive the death penalty for his horrendous felony. Does it seem reasonable that the child, who has committed no crime and never asked to be conceived, to receive a punishment which even the rapist would not receive?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The solution of abortion<\/h3>\n

We have to recognize that, before we even begin discussing the woman’s options, that she\u00a0is in an appalling situation. No course of action is going to be easy<\/strong> and without consequence. Regardless of what she chooses to do, this woman is going to need counseling, as well as lots of love, care and support\u00a0from all those around her as she rebuilds her life.<\/p>\n

If a woman conceives a child through rape, what are her options? Well, she\u00a0can either take the child to term or she can have an abortion. The pro-lifer is simply advocating the non-violent solution to a problem which was brought about by violence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Rape\"Against the prospect of nine months of pregnancy, abortion may seem the “easy” way out. All the rape victim\u00a0needs to do is have a quick medical procedure and then she can\u00a0finally put the whole, horrible business behind her. This will seem the better option, particularly as the woman tries to come to terms with the trauma that she has experienced. She will certainly doubt whether or not she will be able physically and mentally to carry the child in her womb for nine months. Won’t\u00a0it just be a constant reminder of what she suffered?<\/p>\n

However, abortion is not the panacea it promises to be<\/strong>. The woman has\u00a0already endured the emotional trauma of the rape and undergoing an abortion will only compound it all the more<\/strong>. She will endure the consequences of her decision long after she has left Planned Parenthood.<\/p>\n

It is surprising to find out<\/a> that only half of pregnant rape victims choose an abortion. 32.2% raise their child and 5.9% place the child for adoption. Those who choose life rarely reject their decision<\/a>, whereas regret appears to be more common among those who chose abortion.<\/p>\n

Nobody pretends that carrying a child conceived in rape would be easy or without struggle. However, in comparison to the violent alternative, it is the better and more healing choice. I would encourage you to read the stories of those who considered abortion but in the end chose life, even in situations where the child was conceived in rape:<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a>\u00a0\"Screen<\/a>\u00a0\"Screen<\/a><\/p>\n

Finding help and healing<\/h3>\n

If you have undergone an abortion, I would strongly encourage you to reach out to groups such as\u00a0Rachel’s Vineyard<\/a>,\u00a0Rachel’s Hope<\/a>, Abortion Changes You<\/a>, … These are people who\u00a0will do everything within their power to help you heal\u00a0in the wake of an abortion. If you are considering the possibility of having an abortion, they will also be able to help you and offer a better a choice than abortion.<\/p>\n