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What is rape?

Rape, (Verb) Forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion as well as physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal or oral penetration by the offender(s). This category includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign object such as a bottle. Includes attempted rapes, male as well as female victims, and both heterosexual and homosexual rape.

Sexual assault has hurt us all

The statistics for our generation are overwhelming: Between 20% and 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career.[1]  In a nationally representative survey, 37.4% of female rape victims were first raped between ages 18-24.[2]

If you or a friend are raped
1. Get somewhere safe
2. Tell someone you trust
3. Seek Medical Care
4. Meet with a counselor

We all know someone who has been raped. Talking about sexual assault is not easy for anyone. However, there is a very important yet very sensitive question that we must discuss.

Who should be punished for the crime?

Some rapes, about 5%, result in the conception of a new human being.[3]

If you think abortion in cases of rape is okay, consider these questions:

If a rape survivor courageously chose to parent her child who was conceived during rape, but at two years old, decided her son painfully looked like her rapist, would she be justified in killing her toddler son?

Do you believe that she did anything wrong? Would you excuse her actions because it is her body and her baby was inside of it?

For the rape victim, is abortion her best option?

“I certainly did not choose to be raped and definitely did not choose to become pregnant. No more did my child ask to be conceived. I have no right to take his life because of the horrible situation that happened to me. “  - Rebekah Berg, became pregnant as a result of rape, and chose to parent her son.

In an open letter to the U.S. Congress, 38 women who were raped and became pregnant wrote:
“Our experiences are varied. Many of us carried our pregnancies to term. Some of us raised or are raising our children, while others placed our children in adoptive homes. Others of us had abortions. In many cases, we felt pressured to abort by family members, social workers, and doctors who insisted that abortion was the “best” solution. For many the abortion caused physical and emotional trauma equal to or exceeding the trauma of the sexual assault that our abortions were supposed to ‘cure’.”

The Elliot Institute surveyed 192 women who conceived during a rape or incest. Of those victims, 70% carried the baby to term and either raised the child or made an adoption plan, 29% had an abortion, and 1.5% had a miscarriage.

  • 43% of these women said they felt pressured to abort from family or health workers.
  • 78% of those who aborted had regrets and said that abortion was the wrong solution.
  • None of the women who gave birth said they regretted their decision. [4]

Need help?

People hurt by sexual abuse deserve healing, hope and love.

If you are the survivor of sexual abuse and want to seek help, please contact the following resources:

Pregnant?

If you discover that you are pregnant as a result of sexual assault, please contact the following resources for help and understanding:
  • Pregnant on Campus Intiative (we offer access to ASU services, caring support, legal aid, and confidential referrals to nearby resources on and near campus)
  • Aid to Women Center (local Tempe-based nonprofit with confidential client counseling, free pregnancy testing, and STI testing and treatment)
  • Choices Pregnancy Centers (a multisite Valley nonprofit resource clinic that offers confidential client counseling, free pregnancy and STI testing, treatment, and prevention, and other pregnancy resources)
  • First Way Pregnancy Center (a Phoenix-based nonprofit that provides free resources which support life affirming choices through a loving and non-judgmental approach)
  • Option Line (a 24 hour pregnancy counseling and assistance hotline)
  • Hope After Rape Conception (resources for those who have conceived following a sexual assault)
Sources:
  1. U.S. Department of Justice.
  2. Black MC, Basile KC, Breiding MJ, Smith SG Walters ML, Merrick MT, Chen J. Stevens MR, The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS); 2010 Summary Report Atalanta, GA; National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2011.
  3. The most widely cited study of rape-related pregnancy found that 5% of rape victims became pregnant. Best. CL; Holmes, NM; Kilpatrick, DG; Resnick, HS Rape-related pregnancy; estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1996 August; 175(2): 320-4; discussion 324-5
  4. Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault, edited by David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa and Amy Sobie (Acorn Books, 2000)
Material prepared by Students of Life of America. Used with permission. 
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