Is abortion justified in case of rape?

This is a hard situation. Rape is a tragedy - abortion is another tragedy. The situation calls for compassion and requires a prayerful and courageous will. There are two victims here: the young mother (my daughter for example) and her child: The mother who underwent a horrible experience (rape) and the child whose whole life is questioned and who, though innocent of any crime, is facing capital punishment! If anyone still suspects that the unborn child is not a real person, there is now scientific evidence that from the very early stage of pregnancy a new life exists in the womb. A short answer based solely on a rational approach would be to weigh two evils and to choose the lesser of the two evils: 1. the suffering of the young mother and the hardship that the girl and the family have to undergo as a result of rape.2. the suffering and ultimate death of the child if aborted. Now, the second evil is far greater than the first evil since it implies the taking away of innocent life with no hope of revoking the act. Since we must choose the lesser evil, then the first evil is to be chosen. However looking at this situation, there is more to it than just a short logical approach. I refer you to the psychological difference for abortion after rape, based on real cases. I would like to quote here part of an article entitled “Rape, Incest and Abortion: Searching beyond the Myths” by David Reardon, Ph.D.1“The reason most people reach the wrong conclusion about abortion in cases of rape and incest is that the actual experiences of sexual assault victims who became pregnant are routinely left out of the debate. Most people, including sexual assault victims who have never been pregnant, are therefore forming opinions based on prejudices and fears which are disconnected from reality. For example, it is commonly assumed that rape victims who become pregnant would naturally want abortions. But in the only major study of pregnant rape victims ever done, Dr. Sandra Mahkorn found that 75 to 85 percent chose against abortion.2 This evidence alone should cause people to pause and reflect on the presumption that abortion is wanted or even best for sexual assault victims. Several reasons are given for not aborting. First, approximately 70 percent of all women believe abortion is immoral, even though many also feel it should be a legal choice for others. Approximately the same percentage of pregnant rape victims believe abortion would be just another act of violence perpetrated against their bodies and their children. Second, some believe that their child's life may have some intrinsic meaning or purpose which they do not yet understand. This child was brought into their lives by a horrible, repulsive act. But perhaps God, or fate, will use the child for some greater purpose. Good can come from evil. Third, victims of assault often become introspective. Their sense of the value of life and respect for others is heightened. They have been victimized, and the thought that they in turn might victimize their own innocent child through abortion is repulsive. Fourth, at least at a subconscious level, the victim may sense that if she can get through the pregnancy, she will have conquered the rape. By giving birth, she can reclaim some of her lost self-esteem. Giving birth, especially when conception was not desired, 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 was destroying, she can be nurturing. If giving birth builds self respect, what about abortion? This is a question which most people fail to even consider. Instead, most people assume that an abortion will at least help a rape victim put the assault behind her and go on with her life. But in jumping to this conclusion, the public is adopting an unrealistic view of abortion. Abortion is not some magical surgery which turns back time to make a woman "un-pregnant." Instead, it is a real life event which is always very stressful and often traumatic. Once we accept that abortion is itself an event with ramifications on a woman's life, then we must carefully look at the special circumstances of the pregnant rape victim. Will an abortion truly console her, or will it only cause further injury to her already bruised psyche? In answering this question, it is helpful to begin by noting that many women report that their abortions felt like a degrading and brutal form of medical rape.3 This association between abortion and rape is not hard to understand. Abortion involves a painful examination of a woman's sexual organs by a masked stranger who is invading her body. Once she is on the operating table, she loses control over her body. If she protests and asks for the abortionist to stop, she will likely be ignored or told: "It's too late to change your mind. This is what you wanted. We have to finish now." And while she lies there tense and helpless, the life hidden within her is literally sucked out of her womb. The difference? In a sexual rape, a woman is robbed of her purity; in this medical rape she is robbed of her maternity. This experiential association between abortion and sexual assault is very strong for many women. It is especially strong for women who have a prior history of sexual assault, whether or not she is presently pregnant as the result of an assault.4 This is just one reason why women with a history of sexual assault are likely to experience greater distress during and after an abortion than other women. Second, research shows that after any abortion, it is common for women to experience guilt, depression, feelings of being "dirty," resentment of men, and lowered self-esteem. What is most significant is that these feelings are identical to what women typically feel after rape. Abortion, then, only adds to and accentuates the traumatic feelings associated with sexual assault. Rather than easing the psychological burdens of the sexual assault victim, abortion adds to them.”1 Practical Steps Proposed by Care Givers The first step for the girl and her family is to seek councelling and support provided by support organizations such as BirthRight International 5 Fr. Frank Pavone observed “Will an abortion help [the pregnant girl]? By asking this, you are now questioning what is normally an unspoken, unchallenged assumption, namely, that the abortion is somehow a solution to the rape, and somehow helps alleviate the pain and trauma of the woman. Having questioned this assumption, therefore, bring in the evidence that not only does the abortion not alleviate the trauma of the rape, but it brings a trauma of its own. Countless women suffer for years and decades after abortion. I know of women who have been raped and then had abortions, and are in counseling not for the rape but for the abortion! In rape, the trauma is "Someone hurt me." In abortion, the trauma is "I hurt and killed someone else: my child." That brings even more grief." 6 And he then proposes "Why can't we love them both? Why can't we extend to the child the same practical compassion, which we both agree belongs to the woman? Why can't we expand the boundaries of those we welcome and care for? Why should helping and loving one (the mom) mean destroying the other (the child)? In reality, you cannot help one without helping the other, and you cannot hurt one without hurting the other.”7 Notes: 1. See http://www.afterabortion.org/rape.html. Originally published in The Post-Abortion Review 2(1) Winter 1994. Copyright 1994 Elliot Institute 2. Ibid., Mahkorn, "Pregnancy and Sexual Assault," The Psychological Aspects of Abortion, eds. Mall & Watts, (Washington, D.C., University Publications of America, 1979) 55-69. 3. Ibid., Francke, The Ambivalence of Abortion (New York: Random House, 1978) 84-95, 167.; Reardon, Aborted Women - Silent No More (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1987), 51, 126. 4. Ibid., Zakus, "Adolescent Abortion Option," Social Work in Health Care, 12(4):87 (1987). 5. Birthright International, http://www.birthright.org/htmpages/ 6. Refer to Fr. Frank Pavone's text on Catholic Forum website, URL: http://www.catholic-forum.com/luxveritatis/Pavone/rape.htm 7. Ibid.