Ethics - But What About the Rape Victim?

A popular avenue taken by pro-choicers is to dwell heavily upon the devastating reality of the rape victim. When all other questions have been curbed, the violated woman pops onto the scene and with her comes a ocean-full of impossibly hard questions. What, oh what to do with the baby conceived from the seed of violence? This author does not approach said topic and all of the gravity and pain that accompanies it with a flippant attitude. Instead it is with a heavy heart that I ask myself, "What care or advise would I offer to ease the mind of a woman who has conceived through no act of her own, but through the sin of another?" I cannot imagine the agony of it. Even when I try my hardest and employ every ounce of my imagination, my brain cannot muster up such a helpless feeling. To be so cruelly used, so completely violated to such an end as would lead to pregnancy - I cannot understand. Many may condemn this article entirely because I have never experienced the grief that accompanies the object that is now my topic. Regardless of this fact, I will try my utmost to be both sensitive and logical. 

The problem lies in what to DO with the pregnancy? Should it be terminated due to the pain it would inflict on the woman? A pregnant womb (all that should be rapped up in the beauty of a swollen belly and promise of a new life) would do very little to allow the rape victim to forget the terror of her ordeal, some conclude. How could we possibly force a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy through to term? Therefore, the pregnancy should be ended to give the woman peace of mind. 

Such a statement seems like a proper and fair stance in the eyes of society. Undoubtably so! Abortion on demand is readily available in Canada and is not capped by law.  This means that any woman can simply waltz into the doors of an abortion clinic at any stage in her pregnancy and request that it be put to a speedy end. Therefore, one would naturally conclude that if abortion is available at the whim of convenience, it should most assuredly be available for the woman who, through no fault of her own, has forcibly become pregnant. So now what? Would it not seem gravely inhuman and unfeeling to present any other view? 

Based on my other postings one could already assume that this writer cannot easily accept the above view. The sterile and lawful death that accompanies the completion of every abortion, regardless of how that pregnancy came to be, cannot be overlooked. Even in the most bleak situations, we are not dealing with terms. We are dealing with lives. The words "rape" and "unwanted pregnancy" deeply involve more then one person. Although this sin rests heavily upon the shoulders of the woman who has been so helplessly violated, it also involves the soul of another: the baby in question. 

One cannot forget that this child has had no say in how it was conceived. Indeed, no one living or reading this humble paper has had any say in how they came into being. Wether it was through the passion and love of two individuals, or through terror and the sin of one individual forcing himself on another, the way that a person is conceived makes no difference in respects to viability of their person-hood. Therefore, it should be fair to conclude that the child who is a product of rape is still, in every respect, as much of a human being as is the child who is the product of a love. Is it not so? Let us be fair and logical. Let us call a, "Spade a spade." The situation of person-hood does not change based on "how" or "why."

On another note, many utter the assumption that an abortion would provide relief to the emotional aspect of the situation. When one removes the evidence of conception by rape, namely the baby in question, it is thought that the emotional wounds will mend more readily. Indeed, a pregnant belly (which is normally a universal sign of beauty) would be a definite reminder of the horror experienced by the mother. But riddle me this: Is abortion going to solve the emotional trauma associated with rape? I don't believe so. 

While seeking to justify my opinion, I was reminded of the day that I first observed an abortion in progress. I was not present in the flesh but was viewing the procedure over the internet. I winced at the computer screen and could not help but squint, grit my teeth, and cringe at the grizzly sight which met my gaze. Never before had I observed anything so violent. The hidden abortionist employed the suction cathiter and curette in a most forceful and brutal manner. As he (or she) scraped bits of baby from the inside of the womb of the woman it was all I could do to keep my eyes from wandering from what was transpiring before them. All at once the statistics became more real and vivid - not just regarding the 115, 000 babies who are destroyed daily world-wide by abortion, but the reality that many women cannot bare or carry a baby through to term after an abortion. As the metal rod of the curette flashed and scraped in a circular motion, expelling pieces of a tiny baby - a little soul being preciously knit together by the hands of the Almighty God, my eyes were opened to a new reality. Not only does abortion undoubtedly kill a baby, but it does well to maim the mother in the process. This "quick fix" called abortion often yields tragic and lasting results. 

There are many factors that play into procuring an abortion. Not only are there many physical ramifications to consider, but emotional drawbacks as well. Guilt and despair often follow swiftly behind the completion of an abortion. To be clear and fair, this author strongly believes that many women abort out of sheer ignorance to the wonder that is transpiring within their bodies. Indeed, it would be much easier to claim ignorance and undergo the procedure immediately after one finds herself pregnant rather then to research and try to clearly understand the splendor that encompasses all that pregnancy involves - especially if the woman in question deeply desires to rid herself of the unwanted baby. This is why I believe that it is so essential to present the truth of what abortion does to the bodies of the most innocent among us. The pictures, offensive though they may be, do well to educate the public. But all that aside, despite the ignorance and the complacency, many women regret and despair over their decision to kill their babies. Going back to the question of the baby conceived through the despicable sin "rape," I cannot imagine how adding the burden of murder into the mix would help heal the heart of the victim. Women know most deeply and personally, regardless of a lack of education on the subject, that abortion kills a valuable part of themselves - a part of themselves that is worthy of vigorous protection. 

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."

Psalm 139: 13-16

"Rescue those being lead away to death; hold back those staggering towards slaughter. If you say, "But we knew nothing about this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has 

done?"

Proverbs 24:11,12

So how to conclude this paper? Based on everything this author knows about the Almighty God, I am most assuredly convinced that the Lord despises abortion. It destroys the abundance of creativity He has invested into the knitting together of persons created in His image. With the Bible as our guide, all followers of Christ are to, as commanded in Proverbs 24, "... hold back those staggering towards slaughter." Even though rape is a grave and most touchy subject, the child conceived by rape is still a human being, and one who is, despite the sin, being intimately knitted together by the hand of a sovereign God. I have often been told that there are many "grey areas" when dealing with humans and abortion. No one situation is the same as the next, and conception through rape cannot possibly be compared to conception through fornication or adultery. Despite this, nothing can logically justify the destruction of a human life. Therefore, there are no grey areas. Abortion is murder. Murder is sin. Sin robs God of the glory due His name. God hates being robbed of His glory. It is that simple ...