[[Actually, my abortion after my rape did solve a lot of problems. It solved the fact that I was going to kill myself before I stayed pregnant. It solved the disgust and physical sickness I had whenever I thought about it in there growing. It solved my need to not be pregnant. And to this day, years later, I am grateful and happy I had access to the care I needed. So don’t you dare pretend that you are not harming women by taking away their rights to their bodies under false claims. You know what harms women? When they are forced to do something with their body that they don’t want to do. Like when I was raped. Or like what you would like to have done to me by forcing me to carry a clearly unwanted pregnancy for nine months and then give birth.

In my experience pro lifers have two responses to my story- both are disturbing. First, they tell me that an innocent child shouldn’t have to suffer and that I should have chosen adoption. If you can that easily brush off a living, breathing persons depression, brokenness and suicidal thoughts for a fetus, then I really don’t have anything to say to you. You lack any bit of compassion and empathy and that is really sad.

If you do find some bit of empathy and tell me the second usual response, that “oh I make an exception for rape”. That just infuriates me. First, you are admitting that you do not actually care about the “baby” as you claim to. You care about punishing women for consensual sex and that is sick. Second, do you even put any ounce of thought into your little exception that you think is so kind of you? Obviously not because if you did you would know it would be a shit show. Do you know who I’ve told in my real life about my rape? My counselor. That’s it. How would your exception work? Would I have to relive the worst event of my life to police, doctors? Would they be deciding if I was believable enough to get to make choices about my own body? Would they be deciding if what I went through was bad enough to make it acceptable? Would I be proving my right to my own body weeks after it had been taken from me? Fuck that.

My body is mine to decide what I do or do not do with it. I do not have to jump through hoops, or prove my right to it or justify what I do with it to anyone. This is my body. Mine. Stop acting like you have any say in it and stop the bull shit act that you care. You don’t. ]]

nobody would have forced you to kill yourself. the depression and suicide is a personal battle. nobody can force you to do anything
the idea that the baby being a reminder of rape is like the possessions of a loved one who died. if someone dies and their belongings in the area make someone sad, removing those belongings aren’t going to erase the memory of that person or their death. just like how abortion isn’t going to erase the memory of the rape or the fact that it happened. in a way, it’s blaming the child for being associated with the rape.
and yes, it’s tragic when something happens to someone that is unwanted. it’s unfortunate that you were raped. i’m sorry that it happened. but it’s too bad the baby gets the shorter end of the stick on this one.
my response to your story isn’t that you shouldn’t have aborted it. it’s already been done. there’s no point in saying that. the child is gone and what was done can’t be undone.
and yes i would put the life of an unborn child above depression and suicidal thoughts of a person because depression will not necessarily kill someone. people can reach out for help with their depression. it might take years and years but it’s possible to overcome it. i’ve done it. i’ve wanted to commit suicide before many times. but i didn’t because i remind myself that it’s unreasonable to sacrifice life just to satisfy my emotions. nobody forced me to kill myself and nobody forced me to not do it. abortion is like an easy way out of that except the price is someone else’s life. and i make no exception for rape.
your body is yours and yes, you decide what you want to do with it. nobody is stopping you. but getting an abortion in a clinic is not just what you do to your body. someone else has to do it to your body for you. also, with the case of the baby, it’s also the child’s body, not just the mother.
the baby’s body is the baby’s and should not have to prove its right to it. it’s the baby’s body. and i’m not acting like i have any say in it. i truthfully believe everything i say on this matter won’t change anyone’s mind. i don’t have that kind of power and probably never will.
but i do care about the well being of others [yeah right] and my points on abortion were derived through reasoning and morality, not opinion. my contemplation on the issue of abortion shouldn’t define whether or not i have compassion or not. i don’t feel worse for either the mother or the child. i’m looking at this issue from a non-emotional point. i’m looking for the solution that is least damaging.
and so far, the pro-life and adoption duo seems to be the winner.