Abortion Myth #6
What about a woman who is pregnant due to rape or incest?
Abortion Facts
Rape is a terrible and tragic crime. So is incest. If a woman becomes pregnant after rape, she will likely be encouraged to have an abortion. Yet abortion will not make the rape go away. Rather than helping the woman heal from the trauma of rape, abortion may inflict on her another wound, leaving her with even greater grief to cope with.
“Far from helping me deal with the rape and incest, the abortion just covered over the issue...abortion is not helpful; it only obscures the areas that need healing.” Marie Rodier Marie was a victim of both incest and rape, followed by an abortion.(1)
A nine year study revealed that after abortion, it is common for women to experience feelings of guilt, depression, being “dirty”, resenting men, and low self-esteem; the identical feelings that women usually feel after rape.(2)
When a woman is raped, she is an innocent victim. If she chooses abortion, she becomes involved in the decision to end the life of her child, which may result in later guilt. In his book, Victims and Victors, Dr. David Reardon reports that of the 56 testimonies collected from women who aborted sexual assault pregnancies, the vast majority (83%) report that the abortion only compounded their problems, and that they regret having had the abortion. Of the 133 testimonies collected of sexual assault victims who carried the child to term, none report regrets about giving birth to their children or a wish that they had chosen abortion instead. (page 186)
“Once the baby continued to kick and move, I began to have different feelings toward the child. I began to realize that this little life inside was struggling too. Somehow, my heart changed.” -Kathleen DeZeeuw
Kathleen was brutally raped. She considered abortion, then opted for adoption. But at the last minute, she changed her mind and decided to raise her son herself. It hasn’t always been easy, but she has no doubt that he has been her greatest blessing.(3)
Abortion punishes the wrong person. It takes the life of an innocent unborn child. It is the rapist who should be punished. Studies indicate that approximately 1.5% of abortions are done for reasons of rape or incest.(4)
(1) David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie. Victims and Victors, Acorn Books, Springfield, IL 2000
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Lawrence B. Finer, Guttmacher Institute, Reasons U.S. Women Have Abortions: Quantitative and Qualitative Perspectives, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2005, Volume 37, p 113