There has always been controversy surrounding abortion. A few of the arguments made by pro-lifers are:
- that life begins at conception therefore, abortion is akin to murder as it is the act of taking human life
- in terms of rape/incest – abortion punishes the unborn child who committed no crime; instead, it is the perpetrator who should be punished
Pro-choices argue the pro-lifers points as follows:
- nearly all abortions take place in the first trimester, when a fetus cannot exist independent of the mother as it is attached by the placenta and umbilical cord, its health is dependent on her health, and cannot exist outside her womb
- in the case of rape/incest – forcing a woman made pregnant by this violent act would cause further psychological harm to the victim
William Todd Akin is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s 2nd congressional district, serving since 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party and made the following statement on an interview in which he is asked whether he believes abortion is justified in cases of rape and replies that rape does not result in pregnancy.
“It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”
Shauna Prewitt not only got pregnant as a result of rape, but she decided to keep the baby and then was forced to go to court with her attacker over custody and visitation issues. When researching her case, Prewitt learned that 31 states allow men who father through rape “to assert the same custody and visitation rights to their children that other fathers enjoy.”
I know of 1 woman who was raped as a child by her grandfather – that rape led to her contracting HIV. I never asked but I always thought, what if she happened to get pregnant as a result of that rape – would the baby be infected to and would she entertain the thought of abortion? The other woman (a young teenager at the time) – became pregnant as a result of not using contraception. She indicated many reasons for not going through with the pregnancy – she was not capable of having this child and she didn’t the financial resources to ensure a proper upbringing. She also incited fear of what her parents would do if they found out she was pregnant – would she be a pregnant and homeless teenager? 2 very different reasons to have an abortion but each of these reasons lead me to believe that we should be more honest and involve ourselves with our children’s lives. In the case of the child who was raped – she should have had the support to deal with her trauma; instead there was denial, anger, resentment and disbelief from the child’s mother – which led the child to runaway from home. The teenager who became pregnant was not informed about contraception and has misconceptions about birth control and sex that lead her to become pregnant – do we blame her? Is this not the perfect argument for sex education in schools or for parents to be frank with their children in discussions of sex and how to be responsible when they do become sexually active? What do we do as a society instead? We let our judgements, our religious beliefs and politicians decide what is the right or wrong thing to do when, quite frankly, there should only be 1 person who should have the right to make a decision – THE WOMAN, she is the one who has ownership of her body, no-one else.
I really don’t understand women who require a man to make a decision for them, especially when the end result has no effect on the man. If I was a woman – I would be livid at the remarks some of these politicians make in terms of women’s rights such as; pay equity, abortion, employment etc. For me, there is not debate about abortion. There should definitely be a conversation and discussion between the women and a proper health-care practitioner and even a psychologist but, ultimately it is the women who have the final say as to what they should or should not be able to do with their bodies.
According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) here are some current rape statistics:
- 44% of victims are under age 18
- 80% are under age 30
- every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted
- each year, there are about 207,754 victims of sexual assault
- 54% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police
- 97% of rapists will never spend a day in jail
- approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim
- 38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance
For further information on the above statistics, please visit:
The above statistics do not support progress in the areas of sexual assault and rape, what these statistics suggest is that rapists can continue to do what they do without fear of the consequences of their actions. So, when politicians like Todd Akin start spewing such bullshit as the statement above – they are perpetuating a rapist culture. Mr. Akin would not have to make a retraction or apologize for his statement had he researched rape or sexual assault. Statement like this only hurt one individual – the victim. These politicians (mostly Republican or Conservatives) need to separate their ‘biblical’ ideologies and need to understand that it is a different world and they really need to be present to it.
I applaud all those who ‘stand their ground’ against intolerance and ignorance. I applaud all those women who fought for and continue to fight against those who want to oppress them! I applaud all those who fight for positive change in our world – this post is to THANK all those individuals who fight for positive change everyday!
Together we can make the world a more positive one!
COALITION OF POSITIVE ENERGY 