A thoughtful and well-written article by my granddaughter, Meadow Hall.
SHOULD ABORTION BE LEGAL IN THE CASE OF RAPE?
For many, the answer would be yes. Even those who say they don't agree with abortion (even some Christians) might let rape be the exception. If this is you, might I convince you to take a second look at this ideology?
I know WHY people argue in favor of this . . . Because "it's the rapist's child", "it's cruel to force the Mother to always be reminded of her rape if she keeps the child", and "you don't know what the Mother has been through . . . rape is a serious crime". None of these arguments should excuse abortion.
1. Yes, it is the rapist's child (and it is also the MOTHER'S child). But even if the Mother had no relation to the child she was carrying, is it right to punish the child for the sin of the Father? The Father should be punished for his crime, but his baby had nothing to do with it. Therefore, the child would become a second innocent victim as a result to murder.
2. There is something far more crueler than forcing a woman to keep her child . . . Convincing her to take the life of her own child. This goes against the very NATURE of a Mother and only brings more harm to her. Mothers are given the instinctive nature to love, protect and even give their lives up for their children . . . not take them.
According to HealthResearchFunding, women who have had abortions are three times more likely to commit suicide than women of childbearing age who have not had abortions. They are 81% more likely to have mental health issues than other women. Teens who have had abortions are ten times more likely to attempt suicide than teens who have not had an abortion. What does this prove? It is more cruel to allow a woman to abort her baby after being raped, because then it's as if she is being victimized TWICE.
I've met women who have had abortions and I know that it is a terrible thing to live with. Women can only be healed and broken free from their grief and pain by the grace of God and when they learn to properly grieve over their aborted child. Isn't it enough that she's already gone through the trauma of rape? Why on earth would we then encourage her to go through an abortion, which is an even worse thing to live with?
Those who say that women are more empowered when they are free to take the lives of their own children, do not understand what real womanhood is.
3. Yes, rape is a serious crime. But murder is also a serious crime. And no matter how much grief the Mother is going through from being raped, this should not permit her to commit the ultimate crime.
Abortion is murder. And it should not be sugar-coated to be called anything else. If you are a Christian, you should know that God considers life to begin in the womb, and one of God's commandments is to not take innocent life. If you are an American, you should honor the fact that the Declaration of
Independence says that everyone of us has a right to life. This moral principle in our country was based on the belief that a human being has the right to live and, in particular, should not be killed by another human being. And if you keep up with science, you should know that scientists keep discovering amazing facts about babies in the womb that further prove they are human beings, (and it's crazy that we'd ever not consider them being that in the first place). Even the definition of "fetus" does not mean "clump of cells", it means "young one." You and I are made up of clumps of cells . . . does that mean our lives have no value?
"Well, maybe I don't believe in abortion, but it's none of my business what others do" you might say. Is it none of your business when you see someone pointing a gun at a victim in a back alley, so you decide not to call the police? Is it none of your business if you see a man raping a woman, so you do nothing to stop him? Is it none of your business when you see an adult brutally beating a child, so you just turn the other way? Whenever there are innocent victims, it should be our business to try and help those who cannot help themselves. There are millions of innocent babies dying who need our help.
"It's not the government's job to tell us what not to do. Abortion may be wrong, but it takes away their freedom." If that's the case, then you should also believe that theft, rape and any other kind of murder should be legal, because, "Yeah, it's wrong, but that takes away freedom too." The purpose of laws is to keep us being a civilized society and to protect citizens so that people can't run around the streets stealing, raping, murdering and doing whatever it is they want. The purpose of making abortion illegal is to prevent us from becoming a barbaric society where parents are allowed to murder their own children . . . Oh wait, that already is our society. Are we really just going to live with it?
Many pro-choicers believe that pro-lifers do not care about women, they only care about the babies. Maybe those of us who are pro-life could do a better job of showing it, but we do care about women. I'm against abortion because I care about the baby and ALSO because I care about the Mother. I care about her not making the worst decision in her life that she would deeply regret. I care about her not being at higher risk for depression, mental illnesses and suicide. And I care about her eternal soul.
I am sorry for any women who has become a victim of rape. It is certainly a tragedy. But God is an expert of bringing good out of bad. And that sweet innocent baby that was conceived out of an act of evil, can be just the thing that God uses to heal the Mother and turns into a precious miracle and blessing for the Mother. Just read about the testimonies of Mothers who chose life for their babies when they were raped. The Bible says that children are a blessing. Babies are a gift from God, no matter how he or she are conceived. God knows that the baby might be exactly what the poor traumatized Mother needs.
Back to the original question . . . Should abortion be legal in cases of rape? Ask yourself this:
Is it right to punish the child for this sins of the father?
Does murdering her child really help a Mother to feel better?
Is abortion murder?
Do two wrongs make a right?
Then no . . . abortion should never be legal in cases of rape.
MEADOW HALL
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https://www.facebook.com/meadow.barrett/posts/1701819789872663
Picture: Meadow with her little baby, Warren Charles.