Many compassionate people, including those who consider themselves “pro-life”, believe that abortion should be available, and expected, for hard cases such as rape and incest. However, we need to consider whether this line of thinking truly exhibits compassion for those who have been sexually assaulted and find themselves pregnant.
When the topic of abortion arises in debates, the cases of rape and incest are often brought up as a reason for abortion. The question we must ask – is abortion truly beneficial for women in these circumstances? Does it help them overcome the victimization they have experienced, or does it add to their trauma?
And what about the preborn baby? What does compassion look like for them?
In every pregnancy resulting from sexual assault, there are two victims: the woman and the preborn baby. Let’s briefly examine how abortion affects both of them.
The Woman
It is important to listen to those who have tragically experienced being sexually assaulted and conceived a child as a result. While there have been few studies on women becoming pregnant from sexual assault, one study mentioned in the book Victims and Victors (1) sheds light on their feelings, thoughts, and decisions.
Society often labels the child as the rapist’s child – something evil, ugly, and disposable – and puts pressure on the woman to choose abortion. Even if she expresses doubts about proceeding with an abortion, those around her may insist that she is crazy to consider continuing the pregnancy and that abortion would be the best option for her. They believe that abortion will allow her to move on with her life.
Many people who have never become pregnant from sexual assault believe it is horrible and cruel to “force” a woman to carry a rapist’s baby. But what do women in this situation actually say?
According to the study in the book Victims and Victors, women who chose to give birth to their child following their assault provided the following reasons for not choosing abortion (1):
- 70% of pregnant sexual assault victims believe abortion would be a further act of violence perpetrated against their bodies and their children.
- Many of these women believe that their children’s lives may have some intrinsic meaning or purpose which they do not yet understand.
- Victims of assault often become introspective. Their sense of the value of life and respect for others is heightened. Since they have been victimized, the thought that they in turn might victimize their own innocent children through abortion is repulsive.
- Victims may sense that if she can get through the pregnancy she will have conquered the rape. Giving birth is a totally selfless act, a generous act, a display of courage, strength, and honor. It is proof that she is better than the rapist. While he was selfish, she can be generous. While he destroyed, she can nurture.
Over 90% of those who chose abortion said it was not a good solution to their problem and would not recommend it to someone in the same situation. What they needed was unconditional love and support from friends and family instead of pressure.
Jackie Bakker shared, “I soon discovered that the aftermath of my abortion continued a long time after the memory of my rape had faded. I felt empty and horrible. Nobody told me about the pain I would feel deep within causing nightmares and deep depression. They had all told me that after the abortion I could continue my life as if nothing happened.”
Edith Young, who was only twelve years old when she was impregnated by her stepfather, wrote twenty-five years after her abortion: “Throughout the years I have been depressed, suicidal, furious, outraged, lonely, and have felt a sense of loss. The abortion which was to ‘be in my best interest’ just has not been. As far as I can tell, it only saved their reputations, solved their problems, and allowed their lives to go merrily on. My daughter, how I miss her so. I miss her regardless of the reason for her conception.”
The editor states, “When asked what conditions or situations made it most difficult for them to continue the pregnancy, most women responded that it was social pressure – the opinions, attitudes, and beliefs of others about the rape and pregnancy. Reasons included family pressure to abort, attitudes of boyfriends, and the belief that people will not believe that she was raped or that it could have been prevented.” (1)
There is no evidence that abortion helps sexual assault victims mentally and emotionally. If anything, there is mounting evidence showing that abortion is just as, or more, traumatizing than the rape itself. Women who chose abortion following their rape state that they were able to move on from the rape but struggled greatly with the abortion. They describe it as being victimized a second time, with something taken from them in both experiences.
One rape victim who chose abortion said, “I was an innocent victim in a horrible crime. I was not to blame for what the rapist did to me. But in choosing to abort, to kill the innocent child growing within me, I lowered myself to the level of the rapist… It only compounded my pain; it didn’t solve anything.”
The Child
Rape is the only crime where society advocates for the innocent to receive the death penalty instead of the perpetrator.
“The social attitude that rejects the victim as ‘unclean’ also rejects the ‘tainted’ offspring who is the evidence of the crime. The deep-seated prejudice is revealed in the tendency to refer to the baby as the ‘rapist’s child’ rather than the woman’s child. These prejudices tend to lump the child into the same category as the rapist – to view him or her as an evil or criminal entity. A rape pregnancy is seen as the result of ‘ugly’ or ‘sinful’ sex, so the child is automatically seen as ‘guilty’ or ‘sinful.’ The ideas of the child as a separate, innocent person, as a loveable new baby, is easily lost among the heavy, entangling prejudices surrounding rape and rape victims.” (1)
Individuals who were conceived in rape report the following:
- Most of them have happy, healthy, and productive lives.
- Many express indignation or even anger at the idea that they are somehow “products of evil” or that anyone conceived in their circumstances should be aborted.
- Most express deep gratitude to their mothers for choosing to give them life, often in the face of pressure to abort from society or family.
- They overwhelmingly believe that they deserve to live, regardless of the circumstances of their conception.
When people argue that abortion should be allowed for cases of rape and incest, they are essentially saying that those conceived in such circumstances have no value – that their lives have no purpose or meaning. Is that compassion?
The truth remains that every life has value … regardless of the circumstances of their conception.
Watch this powerful story of Kathy Barnette, who was conceived through rape.
Sexual assault is a terrible tragedy. Let’s stand with those who have been victimized and offer them hope, healing, support, and resources to help them through their traumatic experiences. This is true compassion.
(1) Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault. David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie.
