The Rape Question In The Abortion Discussion
In a span of a half-hour during a pro-life exhibit on a college campus, two women explained to me their rape stories. One said that she was a product of a rape, and her mother put her up for adoption. Of course, she was so thankful that her mother didn’t abort her. The other woman said that she was raped as a teenager and had regretted her abortion ever since. There was real pain in her voice. It was such a contrast in emotions on such a powerful issue. They were both so glad that the truth was being displayed about abortion.
What if the woman was raped? This is the question that comes up in most discussions of the abortion issue. Steve Wagner of the organization Stand to Reason states that there is an underlying reason for this inquiry. He explains that they are testing you to see if you’re compassionate toward the woman who has gone through this. It is important to focus on how horrific an act it is and to be very sensitive to the suffering of the woman. This is not some ploy to get to your ultimate goal, but a sincere view of the situation. If someone I cared for was raped, it would be devastating. I then wouldn’t want a pro-lifer telling them that it’s a baby, so they can’t abort it, without showing some compassion first.
Eventually, the situation has to be viewed in its entire context. Obviously, the act of rape is horrible, but that is the fault of the rapist and not the baby. The baby is just as innocent as if it was a product of a loving situation. Why should it be punished because of what the father did. If the woman was able to confront the rapist later, she wouldn’t be allowed to kill him. Why should she kill the one that is totally innocent in this situation. There are legitimate concerns that if she has the child, she will always connect it to the rape. Many say that this would be devastating for her on a daily basis. Obviously, this could be the case, but I think that once the baby is born, most mothers would love that child just as they would any other. There are many babies born to teenage moms who were with some guy who deserted them once he found out she was pregnant. I don’t think they focus on the situation of the father in their day-to-day caring of the child. Of course, it’s not the same as rape, but I think the mother-child bond can overcome most obstacles. As always, having the baby adopted is a great alternative to any terrible situation.
Often people justify abortion by using the rape reason. They usually believe in abortion on demand for any reason. Steve Wagner explains a good way to test this. Since only 1% of the women use rape as the reason for abortion, then you will go along with them in justifying abortion for rape. But if you agree with them on this one point, they will need to join with you to try to ban the other 99% of abortions. If they don’t agree, they will ultimately have to admit that they are for abortions for many more reasons. Then the discussion can be focused on the nature and value of the unborn baby.
Abortion: From Debate to Dialogue: “What if she was raped?” 2005 Justice For All. http://www.JFAweb.org
Click here to read more of my articles at StandForLife.net