Rape Pregnancies Are Rare

Christian Life Resources ^ | April 1999 | John C. Willke, M.D.

[JediJones]

First, let's define the term "rape." When pro-lifers speak of rape pregnancies, we should commonly use the phrase "forcible rape" or "assault rape," for that specifies what we're talking about. Rape can also be statutory. Depending upon your state law, statutory rape can be consensual, but we're not addressing that here.

Assault rape pregnancies are extremely rare. Most pro-lifers have heard this comment, but too often cannot back it up with facts. A candidate for office in the State of Arkansas made this comment before the last elections. He was roundly criticized and ridiculed by the opposing candidate and the media. Unfortunately, there was no evidence that he offered substantive proof to back up his claim that rape pregnancies were rare.

How many forcible rapes result in a pregnancy? Some feminists have claimed as high as 5 to 10 percent, which is absurd.

Finally, factor in what is certainly one of the most important reasons why a rape victim rarely gets pregnant, and that's physical trauma. Every woman is aware that stress and emotional factors can alter her menstrual cycle. To get and stay pregnant a woman's body must produce a very sophisticated mix of hormones. Hormone production is controlled by a part of the brain that is easily influenced by emotions. There's no greater emotional trauma that can be experienced by a woman than an assault rape. This can radically upset her possibility of ovulation, fertilization, implantation and even nurturing of a pregnancy. So what further percentage reduction in pregnancy will this cause? No one knows, but this factor certainly cuts this last figure by at least 50 percent and probably more. If we use the 50 percent figure, we have a final figure of 225 (or 370) women pregnant each year.

[Antoninus]

32,000 pregnancies as a result of rape per year do not constitute...”rare”.

Here's a thought. Try reading the article before posting and looking stupid. Or are you just here to post Planned Parenthood's talking points?

[itsahoot]

32,000 pregnancies as a result of rape per year do not constitute...”rare”. I call B$ on that one.

[itsahoot]

IT HAS BEEN DEBUNKED. Its conclusions have been proven incorrect, as reported in a host of places; nobody, including its author, defends it as legitimate.

Debunked by Whom, Planned Parenthood?

[soycd]

Not as rare as the survival rate of suicidal gunshots to the head.

[Sherman Logan]

Actually, I was being a bit pedantic.

The common use of the term, which is what determines its definition, has changed. Nobody outside the medical profession uses the word in its original sense anymore. The dictionaries just haven’t caught up yet.

[green pastures]

Then a grammar lesson is in order:
“In this case, just like abortion, the woman makes the decision...” Can also be written “In this case the woman makes the decision just like (with an) abortion” The “just like” OBVIOUSLY refers to the decision - not the event. You didn't twist the words, you twisted (and are still twisting) the meaning.

There is no way any reasonable person reads that sentence and honestly believes that the writer is equating abortion and miscarriage.

So, grammatically speaking, the "In this case" refers to the case of miscarriage. To use your revision-- "In this case [in case of miscarriage] the woman makes the decision just like (with an) abortion."

Yes, the 'just like' refers to the decision. So he is equating the decision to have a miscarriage with the decision to have an abortion. If a woman makes the decision to have a miscarriage, just like she makes the decision to have an abortion, to me, the OP is still equating a miscarriage with abortion-- the decision (by the woman) takes place in either case, the end result is the same...

Apparently in your debating school it's okay to imply someone is not reasonable, especially if they come to the same conclusion I did. And they're dishonest, too.

I asked the OP if he really meant to equate abortion with miscarriage. I believe that someone who says a woman "decides" to have a miscarriage -- just like a woman decides to have an abortion-- is doing just that. It is putting a miscarriage into the same deliberate, conscious, and intentional category as an abortion.

Sorry that you think I'm twisting meanings, and being unreasonable and dishonest. I still believe net result is the OP is equating abortion and miscarriage.

[GilesB]

Quite being silly - to say “Today the child chose to ride the bike, just like he chose to take a nap yesterday” is not saying a bike and a nap are the same - and no reasonable person would honestly attempt to make a case that it was.

And PLEASE don’t come back with “are you saying a bike is the same as an abortion?”

Yes, a person persisting in your argument is not being reasonable, or not being honest. I have no idea which applies in your case. Your attempt to attack me is the debating equivalent of saying “Apparently, if someone does not agree with you that 2+2 = 4 they are being unreasonable.” To which I reply - yes, that is true. Neither is a matter of opinion, they are matters of logical or mathematical fact.

[green pastures]

Quite being silly - to say “Today the child chose to ride the bike, just like he chose to take a nap yesterday” is not saying a bike and a nap are the same - and no reasonable person would honestly attempt to make a case that it was.

Your example is not comparable.

"In this case, just like abortion, the woman makes the decision."

A women does not make a decision to miscarry.

Miscarriage does not occur by mentally willing it so.

I have a friend who miscarried and the scars run deep. She has enough to deal with without someone saying that "In this case [i.e., in the case of miscarriage], just like abortion, the woman makes the decision. " She did not make the decision to miscarry.

[GilesB]

I can only conclude that you are being intentionally obtuse. The context of the statement was that the body makes a “choice” due to the trauma. But you knew that, and chose, Clinton like, to nit-pick the semantics. Each time you got smacked, you shifted to another dodge.

So, the poster didn’t use the best phrasing, necessarily, but the meaning (which you chose to ignore) was clear.

And your waving of the bloody shirt does nothing to advance your argument.

Just to be absolutely clear - nobody said your friend chose to miscarry - the discussion was about rape (did you notice that?), and the claim that the woman’s body (let me go very slow here) because of the trauma of the rape “chose” (the body chose, not the woman making an intentional decision). All of this was clear in context. I get so interminably weary of people arguing points that have nothing to do with what was stated...and you take it to a new level.

[DallasSun]

Well, you would be wrong.

[DallasSun]

I posted a Fact. Akin has been confronted with this same fact more than once. Now, who looks stupid? Thought so.

[itsahoot]

Well, you would be wrong.

Really, from where do you get your facts, abortion clinics?

[DallasSun]

No.