Rape is a horrific crime and rapists should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. But, pro-abortion activists, through their rhetoric, are demeaning the victims of rape and children conceived in rape, in order to push back against Alabama’s pro-life law. This isn’t to say they are doing it on purpose, and I’m not accusing them of intentional malice towards victims of rape and children conceived in rape. But the way the Alabama pro-life law is being described by pro-abortion activists actually demeans victims of rape and children conceived in rape.
This law would force children – 12 year olds – to carry a pregnancy by their rapist.
This law would force people w/ mental disabilities to carry pregnancy by rape to term.
This law forces people to be pregnant against their own consent. It’s horrifying.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 15, 2019
Alabama’s legislature just passed #HB314 – an outright abortion ban – with no exception for rape or incest. #alpolitics
— Planned Parenthood Southeast Advocates (@PPSE_Advocates) May 15, 2019
But what are they really saying here? First, this is a rhetorical maneuver they are using. Because they know that abortion is actually unpopular, and that “killing preborn babies” wouldn’t get them a nickel more of federal funding, pro-abortion activists have predictably picked a group of people that everyone has sympathy for; victims of rape. But in doing so, they are using people who were victims of an awful and horrific act to justify their support for another awful and horrific act.
Second, we know this is a political ploy, because these activists and groups don’t support any restrictions on abortion. These groups don’t come out and support other restrictions on abortion because they are pro-abortion.
Finally, these arguments demean children conceived in rape. There are times when pro-lifers will support bills with exceptions for rape and incest because we know that politically that might need to be done in order to end 99% of abortions. But pro-lifers still recognize that those children have value too. However, many times pro-abortion activists will argue that children conceived in rape will grow up unloved or that no child should grow up knowing they were conceived in rape. But children are born into all sorts of horrible scenarios, when conceived consensually or not, and their lives still have value.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, explained:
Facts about #abortion in cases of rape: 1) Abortion in the cases of rape are rare. Only 1% of all abortions are committed on women who have been sexually assaulted. #alabamaabortionban
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) May 16, 2019
2) The abortion lobby is disingenuous when they bring up the horrific crime of rape to justify abortion laws. Why? Because even if you include a “rape exception” into an abortion restrictive law, @PPFA, @NARAL, and others will still oppose it.
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) May 16, 2019
3) The #prolife movement believes science which proves that human life begins at conception, when egg and sperm unite for form a whole, distinct, living human. Not some life but all life.
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) May 16, 2019
4) Your humanity is not determined by your wantedness or the circumstances of your conception. Your humanity, your right to live, is determined by the very fact that you are a member of our human species.
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) May 16, 2019
9) Consider my friend @ryanbomberger who was concieved in #rape…doesn’t he have the same right to life as me? Or did my birth certificate have some special points added on because of my parents income/educational status or because there were candles lit when I was conceived?
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) May 16, 2019
You can learn more about how to help victims of rape here.
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Author: Matt Lamb
