The pro-life group Live Action published the story of a woman who became pregnant as a result of rape had an abortion. Years later, she found out that she herself had been conceived in rape and that her mother had considered committing suicide while pregnant with her.
Irene was raped when she was in her 20s and found that she was pregnant Here is part of Irene’s testimony:
“When my doctor informed me that I was pregnant, I was in shock. It felt as though the legs had been sawn off from under my chair, as if I was falling into a deep abyss. In a whirlwind of events, I ended up in an abortion clinic, but the counselor said I was too far along. I was on the verge of it being allowed to be done legally.”….
I will never forget the sound of the old creaking heavy wooden door, the black and white checkered tiles, and as I was waiting to sign papers, I watched the big clock at the far end of the room, the minutes ticking away to the death of my child. There was an ominous atmosphere, as if death hung in a cloud in the air. I was petrified. The imprints, the sounds, the images, stay with me to this day. In a side room, with some six other women…waiting for our turn, the women were laughing and giggling, and asking each other why they were having it done. …
I started thinking about my situation. I realized I was a mother, with a baby inside me, regardless of how she got there. But when I said this to the nurse who came to collect me, she patted me on the shoulder and said, ‘There there now. You all say that at the last minute – you’re doing the right thing’.
….
The abortionist started yelling at me, and I froze…in sheer panic and terror. … With feet in the stirrups, legs tied, and arms outstretched, also tied, I felt like we were sheep about to be slaughtered. Already having gone through rape, this was horrendous. This is what women’s lib thought was okay? I lost consciousness and awoke to now be the mother of a dead baby, a nightmare that would follow me the rest of my life. The pain was horrendous. The women who had been so chirpy at first, were now all groaning and in tears and crying out to God to forgive them, others crying out ‘my baby!’ while others cried that they were so sorry.
Irene kept this terrible experience to herself for many years, but, according to the article, Mother’s Day was particularly hard as she remembered the baby that she had lost. When she found out that she had been conceived in rape, she regretted having an abortion even more:
It is a sore realization that I did not give my daughter that opportunity. I wish I could turn the clock back, but of course I can’t. But I can now help educate. I often would think how old she would have been now, but couldn’t handle the emotions, so I would stuff it further. When I eventually was able to forgive the rapist, I found it difficult to forgive myself for what I had done. The father (rapist) harmed me, but I harmed my own baby – she was my own flesh and blood.
Nancy Flanders “The Rape Exception: The pain of abortion after rape” Live Action News April 30, 2013
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