Which makes you more angry?

Question

A woman who has been a victim of rape? Or the abortion she would have to end the pregnancy? Just wondering where our priorities lie as a country. Oh, and don;t tell me the statistics of rape in abortion...unless you ALSO state the NUMBER of women, not the percentage...you know, instead of saying 'only 3% of abortions are from rape victims', you instead say ' only this many thousands of abortions are from rape victims'. I am also wondering why, if rape is moe of a concern' don;t we spend as much time voicing outrage at the number of women who are victimized in this country everyday...rather than blaming her for resulting consequnces. Feel free to use the unpaid child support argument as well...

tang, a convicted rapist tried to sue the victim for termintaing the pregnancy. He lost, and the debate about informing men first becamse a moot point. Yes, it happened. Sick, huh?

Brian, you are right, you don't HAVE THE FACTS. perhaps you should lat off of your opinions, since they aren';t based on facts

Lorenzo, the vast majority of rapes go unreported...another reason we don;t have proper statistics.

Answer 1

What really angers me is how rape victims are victimized all over again by the people who try to force them to carry to term the fetuses who are the products of the rapes. The women have already been physically and psychologically traumatized by the rapes, yet some people would be willing to compound their trauma by forcing them to go through with pregnancies that resulted from the rapes.

Answer 2

There were 93,934 forcible rapes reported to law enforcement in 2005. This is the latest year for which the FBI published the statistics. This data includes case of "staturory rape" which is consentual sex between an adult male (over 18), and a woman under the age of 18, that was reported (usually by the girls parents.)
The National Institute for health estimates that 21 pregnancies nationwide were the result of rape in 2005. That would work out to a rate of .0002% of rapes result in preganacy. That rate is tremendously lower than the average rate of pregnancy. The reasons for this seem to be little understood, but it may have to do with the fact that the National Institutes of Health does not count "statutory rape" the same way the FBI does--because statutory rape is consentual. (It is still a crime, even if the parties agree, because it is illegal.) Further, a large number of forcible rapes appear to occur to older women (past their childbearing years.) Finally, most of the reported rapes were actually cases of a father sexually abusing a child, often over a prolonged period of time. (Father/daughter rape wasn't included in the NHI data.) Women in their child-bearing years in the US (between 18-45) are often on the pill, wearing an IUD, or otherwise taking some form of birth control. Finally, many rapists are actually infertile (some believe this is what causes them to become sexually aggressive--their inability to otherwise experience an erection.)
One tragic (and highly publicized) example of rape is the story of Heidi Voight, Miss Connecticut of 2006. After nearly having lost her life to sexual abuse that began as a child and extended into her teen-age years. Her continued sexual abuse throughout her childhood never resulted in a pregnancy--although the mental and emotional scars are exceedingly difficult to recover from.
Rape is a horrible crime, for which there is no defense. The rapist clearly treats the woman as a sexual object, with no regard to her feelings.
Approximately 25% of all pregnancies (there were about 6,000,000 pregnancies in the US last year, according to Planned Parenthood) ended in an induced abortion. (Another 15% or so were ended in spontaneous abortion--as is often the case in incest, where the fetus isn't viable.) That would work out to 1,500,000 induced abortions in the US.
Obviously figures are different elsewhere in the world--but you are asking where our priorities lie AS A COUNTRY, so I'm guessing that is a request to understand the priorities in the US.
So, according to the data provided by these three organizations, 1,500,000 abortions were performed (2007), and 21 women had pregnancies that were the result of rape (2005).
There is no data (because it becomes too specific, and might lead to the identification of the women involved) that says if any/all/or some of the women raped carried the resulting child to full-term or or conversely if any resulted in an abortion.
So, maybe the question is: should we as a nation, justify the 1,500,000 abortions to spare the 21 rape victims that became pregnant?
I personally am highly angry that there are nearly 100,000 vicitms of rape in the US every year! That's indefensible. These are daughters of a loving God.
I am also frustrated that as a nation we think we can defend 1,500,000 abortions each year.
And I can't imagine the struggle that those 21 rape victims--who already have experienced unimaginable terror--have to deal with as they consider raising a child without the help of a loving father (and realizing all along that the child is a product of an evil man committing an evil, despicable act.)
It should finally be noted that planned parenthood notes that of the 6,000,000 pregnancies each year, a full 50% were "unplanned." That means that after the abortions have been removed (assuming all of them were in the 50% "unplanned" category) there are still 1,500,000 unplanned births in the US each year. That may be why so many single mothers are found to be raising children.
Every child deserves a loving mother, and a loving father to raise, nuture, and train them up correctly.

Answer 3

So, I'm not sure if you are really asking for insight, or are you just here to make your own point? Clearly you are supportive of abortion in the cases of rape...perhaps in all cases, not sure. I think arguing for abortion on the basis of rape alone is weak since the #s are probably pretty low. There are over 46 million abortions per year worldwide, with almost 1.5 million occurring in the U.S. According to statistics, less than 1% of the women having abortions are rape victims, so that says less than 10000 of the U.S. abortions are due to rape or incest.

A woman who has been a victim of rape or incest is just that, a victim who is fully innocent. It is a terrible crime, and the perpetrator as far as I'm concerned should be thrown into jail for life or castrated. I'm very sensitive about the death penalty, first it just is too easy, second not sure the perpetrator ever really suffers for his/her wrongdoing, and third - sensitive about being the one to pull the plug on a life at all like that.

As for a baby resulting from a rape - think of it this way. While I can't even imagine or pretend to imagine how difficult it must be for the woman to consider carrying a baby for 10 months that was forced upon her violently....I cannot imagine killing a baby that had nothing whatsoever to do with that violence. This is an innocent baby, known at conception by God, who deserves an opportunity to live. That baby could easily be the blessing heaped upon a couple who are unable to have a child of their own.

So, while I am very hesitant to tell a woman who was raped that she MUST carry the baby...I am more hesitant to tell her to kill an innocent baby. I think my approach would be to ask her if she thought it possible to make a good thing come out of a very very bad thing - i.e., a blessing of a baby to herself or to a couple who would love that child.

In the end, if she opted for an abortion, that would be her decision and not one I would judge. She would certainly be forgiven by God if she asked, and that would have to be good enough for me. If, however, she opted to carry the baby and love it or give it up for adoption, she would be one of the most amazing and respected women I have ever met.

Answer 4

In my opinion, not everything is a 'black or white' issue. It is true that a crime is a crime, and a sin is a sin. I think you understand that it is morally wrong to intentionally kill a person, before or after their birth. However, the horrible crime of rape is something that all mankind detests, unless they are animals who have no right to live free in society. If a woman truly becomes pregnant due to rape, she certainly should have the option to make a choice in the very early stages of the pregnancy. The matter of rape should never be used as an excuse by women who have a consensual sexual relationship, or use abortion as a birth-control method. A woman has control of her body, but not necessarily control of the body inside her.
To answer the question, it not just a matter of making one angry, but it makes people, as well as God sad to see such disregard for human kindness.

Answer 5

Obviously, the response you will receive will be that the abortions make them angrier. I've asked people this question before (not in this forum, but in real life) and the answers I've received have been something like, "Well, she may have been raped, but at least she's ALIVE - abortion is murder."

Clearly, they aren't aware that most women who have been raped end up wishing they HAD been killed - or, worse, they try to kill THEMSELVES.

The problem is that people who believe life is so sacred that abortion is murder and should be made illegal also believe that it's okay to kill some "babies" - the ones conceived through rape or incest, for instance... apparently they're not quite as sacred as those conceived through unprotected sex or love between a married couple. Those "babies" are a lot more expendable than the ones conceived through consensual sex.

Life is sacred, right? Unless it isn't.

Answer 6

I just wonder, as often as Republican candidates speak out against Abortion, after SIX YEARS of all three branches of the US government controlled by Republicans, why they did NOTHING about the great evil, Abortion?

At least Democrats TELL you they're "Pro-Choice", they don't tell you they're "Anti-Choice" to get elected and then do nothing about this so-called issue.

Which is the most hypocritical Party again?

Answer 7

First off the number of abortions due to rape probably doesn't reach into the thousnad though I have no solid statistic available to give you a number. Second as I understand it we should execute an unborn baby because some scumbag raped a woman. Yeah, that sounds fair.

Answer 8

Definitely the woman herself. She is the one who will have to deal with the often-emotionally-crippling aftereffects of being raped. The fetus inside of her should not be valued above her, especially not in this situation.

Answer 9

I agree with you. Time and time again anti-abortionists proclaim that it is the woman's fault and her fault alone. Personal responsibility only goes so far in these cases.

Answer 10

I'm in favor of abortion, even retroactive abortion in some cases.

In unquestionable cases of rape, the death penalty is in order for the rapist. In cases of false claims of rape, the death penalty is also in order for the claimant.