They said it.
An incest victim writing under the pseudonym “Mary Jean Doe” says:
“Abortion on demand, no questions asked, makes it easier for incest and child abuse to continue. Abortion for incest victims sounds compassionate, but in practice it is simply another violent and deceptive tool in the hand of the abuser.”
Mary Jean Doe “Incest and the Abortion Clinic” The American Feminist, Vol. 4 (4) Winter 1997-98, 15-16
Share on FacebookA woman who identified herself as “Patricia Ryan” who had an abortion after her rape said that the abortion led to emotional suffering. She said:
“Given my own experience, I would definitely discourage a woman from having an abortion following rape or incest. While it may appear to be the quickest, easiest solution to a painful, humiliating “problem,” it is only a band-aid approach and has terrible ramifications of its own.”
David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie. “Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault” Springfield, IL: Acorn Books) 2000 p 57
Share on FacebookAnother woman who was raped and had her baby, identified as Sharon “Baily” says:
“There is no doubt in my mind that abortion should be discouraged. Abortion is a terrible way of dealing with a pregnancy resulting from rape, although I suppose it is a way for people to ignore the victim and her needs.”
David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie. “Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault” Springfield, IL: Acorn Books) 2000 p 89
Share on FacebookShould abortion be legal in cases of rape or incest? That is a difficult question. Each individual must use their own conscience to decide whether or not to support abortion in those cases. But I hope that reading the quotes here will make you think about whether abortion is good for women, even in these extreme cases. To finish, I will leave you with the words of one woman who was raped and had her child before Roe v. Wade:
“Never, in the years after her birth, did I ever regret giving life to my daughter. However, there have been many times when I have looked back grateful that no state legislature had provided an easy, instant answer of a free abortion for me. I’m grateful because, at that time, I might have bought into the lie that an abortion would fix all my problems. But fortunately that temptation wasn’t there.”
David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie. “Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault” Springfield, IL: Acorn Books) 2000 p 94
Share on FacebookHelene Evans says:
“The negative feelings resulting from the rape were not eliminated by the abortion. Nothing was solved, instead the grief was now doubled …I feel that those who support abortion in cases of rape and incest do not know what they are talking about. What they may think of as an act of mercy is no mercy at all. Abortion does not help or solve a problem- it only compounds and creates another trauma for the already grieving victim by taking away the one thing that can bring joy.”
David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie. “Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault” Springfield, IL: Acorn Books) 2000 p 68-69
Share on FacebookAnother woman, identified as “Rebecca” was raped and had an abortion and says:
“I know the pro-abortionists are wrong. They say abortion is the easy way out, the best thing for everyone, but they are wrong. It’s been over 15 years and I still suffer.”
David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie. “Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault” Springfield, IL: Acorn Books) 2000 p 65
Share on FacebookMarie Rodler, who had an abortion after become pregnant from a rape, has this to say:
“Abortion is not helpful; it only obscures the areas that need healing by placing a huge wall of guilt between the real issues and the woman’s conscience. Abortion puts everyone’s attention on the pregnancy instead of the victim and her needs.”
David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie. “Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault” Springfield, IL: Acorn Books) 2000 p 62-63
Share on FacebookIn the book Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault, which was written as a result of the study mentioned above, a number of women who have been there discuss how they feel about abortion after rape.
Kathleen DeZeeuw, the mother of a child conceived in rape, says:
“To me, it is an affront every time I hear all the rhetoric from the pro-abortionists. As I stated before, a woman is most vulnerable at a time such as this, and doesn’t need to be pounced on by yet another act of violence. She needs someone to truly listen to her, care for her, and give her time to heal.
I, having lived through rape, and also having raised a child ‘conceived in rape’, feel personally assaulted and insulted every time I hear that abortion should be legal because of rape and incest. I feel that we’re being used to further the abortion issue, even though we’ve not been asked to tell our side of the story.”
David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie. “Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting From Sexual Assault” Springfield, IL: Acorn Books) 2000 p 46
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Lee Ezell, author of the book “The Missing Piece” (Servant Publishing)was raped and became pregnant. She describes meeting her daughter, who she gave up for adoption:
“We met for the first time just a month after our first phone conversation. There are no words to describe my exact feelings as Julie walked into my hotel room.
Here was the child whose memory I’d hidden in my heart for so many years, the child who has given me my first grandchildren…She embraced me. We cried. Bob [her husband] said with all the love in the world in his voice: “Thank you for not aborting Julie. What would my life be like without her?”
…..
Finding my daughter has enriched my life beyond measure. The couple, who adopted her, Eileen and Harold Anderson, are beautiful people.
Julie, Eileen and I have been speaking to various groups about what happened to us. I guess our message is that just as bad things can happen to good people, so can something beautiful come from a wicked act. Julie is living proof of it.”
Lee Ezell “I Was Raped” Lovematters.com advertising supplement, Vol. 18, 2009
Share on FacebookI was a sophomore in college when I found out I was pregnant. I was scared, because I didn’t want my family to find out, and I was ashamed of what I had gotten myself into. I went to one of my professors for advice, and she told me about all the options, but she stressed that abortion would be a good idea because I was still in school and she didn’t think my boyfriend was prepared to be a father.
She had a lot of influence on how I thought and what I did back then, and I was seriously considering doing it just so that I wouldn’t have to tell my family. When I came home for summer break, I was already about six weeks along, and I ran into a pro-life friend. She could tell something was wrong, and I told her that I wanted to have an abortion. Thank God she was a good enough friend that she wouldn’t leave me alone until I promised not to do it and to tell my family. It was really rough when I did tell them, but they didn’t hate me or throw me out like I was afraid they would. Now I have a gorgeous 2-year-old boy, and I can’t imagine my life without him. It was very easy to rationalize killing him before he was born, but I know that no amount of rationalization would have helped if I had gone through it. I knew in my heart that even if there was the slightest chance that he was a human being, I should let him live. That’s all the pro-abortion argument is–rationalization for murder by dehumanizing the child. I know people who have gone through it, and they almost never talk about it. If there is nothing to be ashamed of, why does it seem like a dirty secret? I am glad that I don’t have to hide any dirty secrets like that.
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