Abortion and Rape

When discussing abortion with pro-choice people, many times they'll pull out the argument, "What if a woman gets pregnant by rape or incest? Shouldn't she be able to terminate her pregnancy? That child will remind her of that traumatic experience all her life."

I do not want to take away from the fact the rape is a horrible, violent act that should be punished. However, I want to look at this case just a little more than most pro-choice are willing to.

First off, the likely hood of conceiving by rape is extremely small. When a couple wants to conceive, there is only a 3 percent chance that they will. That being said, statistics say that the chances of a woman conceiving through rape is about 1 in a 1000!

Secondly, rape is never the fault of the child. Why should the child be punished for the sin of some depraved man? If your father committed a crime, should you go to jail for it? No! In the same way, if you found out that your biological father raped your mother, would you feel you no longer had the right to live?

Thirdly, the violence of abortion parallels the violence of rape. Killing the innocent baby will not erase the pain experienced by rape. This will only add to the hurt and anger.

Finally, a child is a child regardless of the circumstances surrounding his/her conception. a child conceived through rape is just as precious as a child conceived by love. Some women think that a child conceived by such a vile act will be a constant reminder, however, many find it brings healing to their souls. In any case, the woman has the wonderful option of either keeping the baby or putting it up for adoption. These are the only right options. Aborting the baby is only an attempt at denying what happened and as everyone knows, denial is never good therapy.

If you would like to read more articles on abortion and life, please click on this link and take a look at the many articles by Rany Alcorn. Mr. Alcorn covers many topics in the pro-life and pro-choice debate.