What About Rape: Is Abortion Ever Justified?

In her last year of college, Shauna Prewitt was raped and, a month later, discovered that she was pregnant. Unsure what to do, Shauna sought help from a few counselors on campus. All of the counselors advised abortion.

This answer seems obvious to many people. Abortion-deniers at such times seem like barbaric fanatics bent on torturing women. If there was ever a time in which abortion is justified, surely rape is that time, right?

But that’s actually not the right question to ask, at least not right away.

*Rape* and *abortion* are not the starting points for this discussion.

Imagine that someone stole something important from you. If you had the chance to get it back, you would. But what if you knew for a fact that retrieving your stolen item would result in the death of an innocent bystander?

That changes the conversation.

The real question is this: Is an unborn baby a human being or a clump of cells?

Everything hinges on this. If an unborn baby really is only a clump of cells, like a tumor, of course, you should have the right to remove it.

But no one can honestly say that anymore. Modern science has made it impossible to consider the baby a “clump of cells.” Ultrasounds show babies as they develop in the womb–the heartbeat, the fingerprints, the brain, the heart–all the parts are there!

Science and biology are conclusive: life begins at conception!

That being true, it radically changes how we regard abortion–even in rape cases. If someone committed a crime against you, you would never fix it by needlessly causing the death of an innocent person.

Especially if the innocent person was a child… especially if it was your child!

Consider these two questions:

What if you had been conceived in rape?

Rape is a terrible crime; no one disagrees with that. No one would choose rape as their moment of conception. Being born as a result of rape would likely create difficulties in your life–but would you, therefore, not even want the chance at life?

Would you want to be punished for your father’s crime?

If the baby born from rape is an innocent human being, should that baby be punished or killed for the crime its father committed? If a father were a drug dealer or murderer, do you think it would be fair to punish his children for his crimes?

Should a man get away with raping a woman and then have it erased by dismembering his child in the womb? Rape is a horrible act of violence, but the answer is not further acts of violence against innocent and vulnerable children.

Real Women. Real Rape Cases.

Ashley was heading down a “rough road in life” as a young adult. She was on her own and didn’t have a strong support system. This might seem like the worst possible scenario in which to introduce a child.

Worse still, what if the child was conceived in rape? Yet, that is what happened. Ashley was raped and, as a result, became pregnant.

Yet Ashley chose to keep her child. Did this child destroy her life, as many might have predicted? Ashley says that having her son in her life motivated her to return to school and create a healthy, stable home environment. He gave her life purpose and meaning, something to live and fight for. Her son became the most important person in her life.

Instead of destroying her life, you might say, her child is what saved her.

Shauna Prewitt, refusing to listen to her on-campus counselors, also chose to have her child. Shauna says, “My daughter is the absolute greatest gift for me. My daughter taught me that there is value to who I have become after my rape… to start seeing the innocence and beauty of life again.”

Recovering from rape is a hard road. But don’t make it even harder by choosing to end an innocent life. Despite the circumstances in which they are conceived, children are a gift. They deserve a chance to live.

You Are Not Alone

If you have been raped, you don’t have to face it alone. You have options and support available to you.

There are people who are ready to support you during this difficult time. Choices Pregnancy Centers are fully staffed with trained medical professionals, counselors, and a team of people standing by, ready to help. We have resources, services, connections, and many options available, so you do not have to walk this path alone.