You’re in a conversation about abortion and someone says “abortion should be legal because a woman should never be forced to carry the child of her rapist.”
What would you say?
Let’s be clear. Rape is awful. Rape is evil.
Those who commit rape deserve to be punished. Victims of rape deserve compassion and care. However, in conversations about abortion the possibly of pregnancy by rape or incest is typically used to argue for the legalization of abortion in all cases. Here are three things to remember.
1. Rape and incest represent a tiny fraction of abortions.
2. Abortion in the cases of rape punishes an innocent party.
3. Our value as humans is not based on how we are conceived.
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You’re in a conversation about abortion, and someone says, “Abortion should be legal because a woman should never be forced to carry the child of her rapist!” What would you say? Let’s be clear. Rape is awful. Rape is evil. Those who commit rape deserve to be punished. Victims of rape deserve compassion and care. However, in conversations about abortion, the possibility of pregnancy by rape or incest is typically used to argue for the legalization of abortion in all cases. Here are three things to remember. First, rape and incest represent a tiny fraction of abortions. Even if abortion could be justified in these rare situations, the vast majority of abortions are in no way justified by these exceptions. We cannot avoid discussing the rule because of the exception. Second, abortion in the case of rape punishes an innocent party. In cases of rape that leads to conception, there are three parties involved: the rapist, the woman, and the child. Which of these three parties is guilty of a crime and deserves to be punished? The woman did nothing wrong. The child did nothing wrong. Only the rapist is guilty. But abortion means that the innocent child is given a punishment that even the guilty rapist won’t face. In no other situation do we suggest that a child should be punished for their parent’s crimes. In fact, we would never justify killing a born child who was conceived in rape. If we wouldn’t punish a child after they are born, why should we punish a child before she is born? Third, our value as humans is not based on how we are conceived. Some people are conceived in love. Others are conceived in lust. And some, tragically, are conceived in violence. Regardless of the circumstances, in each case an innocent, unrepeatable, and irreplaceable human being comes into existence. By virtue of being human, they have dignity and rights regardless of how they came to be. Finally, Abortion will not change what happened. Abortion may seem like a way to minimize the pain, but it will not change the past and it cannot make a victim forget what happened. Many things, well beyond a pregnancy, can act as reminders to victims of sexual assault. Abortion doesn’t make the woman any less of a victim, but creates another victim. Rape is wrong. So is abortion. The fact that rape is wrong, doesn’t make abortion ok. Let’s Review When someone says that cases of rape are the reason abortion is ok, remember this. Of all the abortions that occur, very few are for rape and incest. The vast majority of abortions are in no way justified by these exceptions. Abortion in cases of rape or incest punishes the innocent. A child should never be punished for the crimes of their father. Our value as humans does not come from how we are conceived. It comes from who we are as humans created in the image of God. And finally, abortion will not change what happened, but it will create another victim.
Katy Faust is the Founder of Them Before Us, the only organization solely devoted to defending children’s rights in family structure. She did her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College and then received a Fulbright scholarship to Taiwan. Her fluency in Mandarin assisted her when she worked with the largest Chinese adoption agency in the world. In 2012 Katy began blogging about why marriage is a matter of social justice for kids. Her articles have appeared in USA Today, Public Discourse, LifeSite News, and The Federalist and The Daily Signal. She has filed three amicus briefs supporting children’s rights and advocated for the rights of children with lawmakers in the US and abroad as well as at the United Nations. She currently appears in a video series called Dear Katy which offers advice on how to live sexual integrity in the midst of morally permissive cultures. She is married and the mother of four children, the youngest of whom is adopted from China.
Joseph Backholm is legal counsel and Director of What Would You Say? at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview where he helps Christians understand and navigate the intersection of faith and culture. He joined the Colson Center after a decade as the President and General Counsel of the Family Policy Institute of Washington in Washington State where he managed educational, legislative, and electoral operations on behalf of life, marriage, religious freedom, and parental rights. He led three ballot initiatives in Washington State on issues related to marriage and gender privacy. He is passionate about helping Christians be less afraid by helping them see that what God has said about the world is both true and good. He is a Washington native and Texas resident who loves travel, sports, and whatever his kids are into. Joseph received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and his law degree from Seattle University. He and his wife Brook, live with their four children in Bedford, TX.
STEPHANIE GRAY
LOVE UNLEASHES LIFE
Stephanie Gray is an international speaker and Founder of Love Unleashes Life. She has given over 900 pro-life presentations across North America as well as in Scotland, England, Ireland, Austria, Latvia, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. In 2017, Stephanie was a presenter for the series “Talks at Google,” speaking on abortion at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California.
Stephanie has debated abortion advocates such as physicians who do abortions, which includes debating late-term abortionist Dr. Fraser Fellows in front of medical students at the University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. She has also debated Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, Dr. Jan Narveson, Philosophy professor and recipient of the Order of Canada, Elizabeth Cavendish, legal director for NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Dr. Malcolm Potts, the first medical director for International Planned Parenthood Federation.
Stephanie is author of Love Unleashes Life: Abortion & the Art of Communicating Truth as well as A Physician’s Guide to Discussing Abortion. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UBC in Vancouver, and a Certification, with Distinction, in Health Care Ethics, from the NCBC in Philadelphia. She resides in Vancouver, Canada.
