Thursday, December 6, 2007

"...Except in cases of rape or incest"

The above words have been troubling me recently. In almost every poll or newspaper article about society's attitude toward abortion, you will inevitably see those words. People seem to be thinking "Oh, yes, abortion is wrong and all, but what about the poor woman who has been raped? Or impregnated by her father or brother? Well, in that case, abortion is fine and dandy!"

Is it? Why? If a baby is conceived during such a horrible crime, why must the baby pay the ultimate penalty of death? Even the rapist gets more leniency!

Another thing that bothers me about this argument is this question: How often does conception of a baby actually happen when these crimes are committed? I have done some research, and found out that really, nobody actually knows. But as much as the catch-phrase "...except in cases of rape or incest" is bandied about, you would think a whole bunch! I don't deny that it happens, I just think it is probably very rare.

But what I have found out is that when it does, and the woman is facing the abortion of the child, or indeed has one, she once again feels victimized.

Consider this profound finding: "In a survey of 192 women who became pregnant through rape or incest, nearly 80 percent said that they regretted their abortions, while NONE of the women who carried to term said that they wished they had not done so or that they had chosen abortion instead..." (www.physiciansforlife.org) The article goes on to say: "Many of the women in the survey also reported that they felt pressured by family members or health care workers to undergo abortions, and that they did not freely choose abortion for themselves," Reardon explained. "This was especially the case for those who became pregnant through incest; in almost every case, the abortion was chosen by the girl's parents or tragically, by the perpetrator himself. In some cases the abortion was used to cover up the incest and the girl was returned to the same abusive situation to be victimized again."

"...Except in cases of rape or incest..." Troubling, indeed.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

AMEN!! I've always been a little confused by the rape or incest thing... how does rape or incest change what, or WHO is actually in the womb? I have heard testimonies from women who were victimized and became pregnant say that the baby was the one blessing that came out of a horrible, unjust situation.