Or FR had one of these...
Posted on 08/28/2012 9:24:06 AM PDT by Perseverando
Exclusive: Jane M. Orient, M.D., says political demagoguery is replacing science
“From what I understand from doctors, that’s (conception as a result of rape) really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something, I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child.” – Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo.
All decent people, including U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin, agree that forcible rape is a heinous crime. Almost all would agree that illegitimate (false) accusations of rape occur – there’s the case of the Duke lacrosse players, for example.
All reasonable people, including Todd Akin, agree that pregnancy can result from forcible rape – but there is scientific disagreement on how likely it is.
A 1988 textbook, the second edition of “Human Sex and Sexuality” by Edwin B. Steen and James H. Price, estimates a 2 percent pregnancy rate. A 2012 textbook, “Comprehensive Gynecology,” 6th edition, gives an estimate of between 2 percent and 5 percent and states that “in the experience of most sexual assault centers, the chance of pregnancy occurring is quite low.” Estimates depend on flawed methods, with inevitable biases. An experiment to give an accurate figure is, of course, impossible. And does the estimate really matter to the woman who has been raped? Either she gets pregnant, or she doesn’t.
Is the risk of pregnancy lower with forcible rape, and if so, why? Off the cuff, Todd Akin gave a layman’s restatement of the point made by some pro-life physicians that the female body has some defense mechanisms against pregnancy in cases of rape.
The process of fertilization, implantation and maintenance of pregnancy is an intricate...
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Or FR had one of these...
Bingo !
Respectfully, I think that's a stretch. Yes, behind the pro-abort movement is a lot of money keeping the wheels of PP turning. But I don't see how this particular controversy is directly and conspiratorily related to the notion that all rape results in pregnancy.
“For some odd reason, the ‘stats’ on pregnancy from rape vs. pregnancy from consensual sex seem to be lacking.”
Because most rational people realize it’s not relevant!
It’s like defending a person for voter fraud by arguing that since the election was decided by more than 1 vote his fraud didn’t affect the outcome and therefore is was not a big deal.
I have no doubt that will happen. About the same time that pigs fly and Sarah Palin votes Democrat.
The left engages frequently in equivocation, and regardless of how well conservatives may see through it, there are many voters who do not. Conservatives need to not only speak the truth, but do so in such a way that even people who are susceptible to leftist tricks will perceive it correctly.
The way many conservatives respond to the issue of whether a child who is conceived as a product of forcible rape ends up alienating many people who would otherwise support conservatives. A better response would be to respond with a return question: if there were a 'rape exemption' to rules against abortion, how would women who have become pregnant as a result of forcible rape be distinguished from those who become pregnant as a result of consensual sex, aren't happy about it, and are willing to lie in order to get out of it?
Conservatives need to put the focus on the real problem: a lot of people would agree that abortion should only be legal in cases of rape or incest, but don't realize that the real reason leftists push for such exemptions is not because rape and incest actually account for a significant number of pregnancies, but rather because they can use such exemptions to justify many abortions in cases which aren't a result of rape non incest. Similar issues exist with "mother's health" exemptions.
Many leftists claim they want abortion to be "safe, legal, and rare". Many conservatives probably wouldn't have a problem with that, if "rare" meant perhaps dozens of abortions per year in the US, rather than millions. Unfortunately, the leftists who claim they want abortion to be "rare" don't really seem interested in making it so. Conservatives need to focus on the fact that people's avoidance of risky behaviors is greatly affected by their perception of consequences. People who know that sex may result in a pregnancy that they'll be stuck with for nine months will alter their behavior as a result. Not to say there would never be unintended pregnancies, but the more serious the perceived consequences of casual sex, the more reluctant people will be to engage in it.
LOL. Good one. Yeah, I’m one of those who just click the preview button without ever reading...not good, but again, not enough time for perfection.
I think you are a Mad Scientist even to conjure up such a weird scenario.
Pro-Life bump
Unlike you who appear to be suffering from "low IQ." We really don't need more passive-aggressive scientific illiteracy from the likes of you.
Re: Unlike you who appear to be suffering from “low IQ.” We really don’t need more passive-aggressive scientific illiteracy from the likes of you.
But I guess we need it from you? I’m sensing some serious NPD issues.
Oh I’m just so unworthy to be in the presence of someone with such a command of so much liberal pseudo-psycho babble.
Ping for reference
The impression I get (from what I've heard/read in popular culture) is that a lot of people (not the general public, surely?) have some peculiar beliefs about the female body.
* A woman has a "shelf life" and is worthless if she is "past her expiration date" (whatever that means).
* All women go through menopause at age 40 (yeah, I saw that one touted by a male comedian on late-night television).
* "Don't trust anything that bleeds for seven days and doesn't die." How many women have constant heavy menstrual flow over seven whole days?
* A belief that a woman has "pre-menstrual syndrome" DURING her period (what does the prefix "pre-" mean again?
* A woman can get pregnant 30 days out of any given month (reality: fertility is only a few days out of every month).
* Every woman of childbearing years should, for the pleasure and convenience of all men, be on birth control of some sort, or be willing to abort the child. (Saw this one on a newsgroup or Web site somewhere.)
Supply your own examples. I think the wackiness in popular culture regarding women's bodies came along with the pill and has increased after Roe v. Wade.
It appears as if it isn’t just progressives who get all emotional over certain issues.
The underlying emotional issue is "sex at any time, with no strings attached." That's what's getting people all worked up.
Sex is serious stuff. People aren't giving it its due.
You have no argument with me. People were getting emotional over Akin’s remarks as if he were condoning rape.
Where in ANY post I've ever made would you get that idea? An innocent child should not be killed for the behavior of others, period. And I sure as heck oppose being forced to PAY for it! The law currently permits it, and I oppose the law.
CWN - August 28, 2012
Dr. Thomas Hilgers, a Creighton University obstetrics professor and director of the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction, has revealed that statistics show women are less likely to become pregnant when they are raped than when they engage in consensual intercourse.
Noting that “the emotional impact of rape often clouds a legitimate and truthful discussion,” Dr. Hilgers said that a study of rape victims in Nebraska found that only 1.6% became pregnant, whereas a random sample would have found 2-4% of all women pregnant after an act of intercourse. He concluded that “complex mechanisms of human ovulation and its interaction with stress” could explain the discrepancy.
Dr. Hilgers made his observation in the context of a debate provoked by statements from Rep. Akins, the Missouri candidate for the US Senate, who has come under intense criticism for saying that a woman’s body has methods of preventing pregnancy after rape. Dr. Hilgers emphasized that although some such forces may be at work, they are not under the woman’s control.
Dr. Hilgers also stressed that pregnancies resulting from rape account for only a tiny proportion of all pregnancies, and for less than 0.01% of all abortions. He added: “Furthermore, of those rape victims, 98.4% of them will not be helped in any fashion by abortion; and, for those who are aborted, they are then potentially confronted with a double dose of psychological trauma.”
Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
This is our latest press release, and I would like to provide it to you for your information:
August 22, 2012 (Omaha, NEBRASKA) – According to Thomas W. Hilgers, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist who directs a reproductive ultrasound center that specializes in the study of naturally-occurring ovulation events at the National Center for Women’s Health in Omaha, Nebraska, “the question of rape always stirs the emotions whenever it is introduced into the abortion debate. Unfortunately, the emotional impact of rape often clouds a legitimate and truthful discussion.”
In the State of Nebraska from the years 2005 through 2011, there were 26,521 abortions reported to the Nebraska Health & Human Services Division. Of those abortions, 65 were performed for the indication of “sexual assault.” This is a rate of 0.2% of all the abortions performed. Hilgers says, “In other words, 99.8% of all the abortions performed in the State of Nebraska (and this would be relatively representative of other states as well) are performed for reasons other than rape. It should also be pointed out that, during the same period of time, the abortions performed for the indication of ‘incest’ numbered two and the incidence was 0.01%.”
During this period of time, there were 4,111 forcible rapes and sexual assaults reported in the State of Nebraska for those 65 abortions. “Presuming that all of the forcible rapes have been reported, this is a pregnancy rate of 1.6%, which is considerably lower than one would expect for a random act of intercourse, the pregnancy rate of which should range from 2% to 4%,” said Hilgers. “This concurs with recent statements that the pregnancy rate from forcible rape and sexual assault is lower than it is in normal fertility. Furthermore, of those rape victims, 98.4% of them will not be helped in any fashion by abortion; and, for those who are aborted, they are then potentially confronted with a double dose of psychological trauma.”
Our studies of human ovulation by ultrasound (which number over 3,000 separate cycles) and also our study of the natural fertility system show that ovulation can be delayed by stressful events, and that this actually is quite common. Thus, the idea that a woman’s body can “shut down” ovulation and prevent pregnancy is also a true statement. Of course, this is not under the woman’s control. It is an effect of the complex mechanisms of human ovulation and its interaction with stress,” said Hilgers.
“We have the responsibility of finding the rapist and prosecuting him to the full extent of the law and being very firm about it,” Dr. Hilgers said. “We also have the responsibility to the woman who is the victim of rape. But when 98.4% of rape victims do not become pregnant but suffer the emotional trauma of the rape, then crisis intervention and support is extremely helpful and important. More emphasis on this type of support needs to be provided.”
Dr. Hilgers is an obstetrician-gynecologist who specializes in reproductive medicine and surgery. He is also the Director of a nationally accredited Reproductive Ultrasound Center and the Director of the National Center for Women’s Health in Omaha, Nebraska. He is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology in the Creighton University School of Medicine and the Director of the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction.
Pope Paul VI Institute & National Center for Women’s Health
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