Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Pregnancy is less likely after rape, leading ob/gyn says
Catholic World News ^ | August 28, 2012

Posted on 08/29/2012 1:31:49 PM PDT by NYer

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.



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2012; abortion; akin; akins; prolife; rape; toddakin
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-63 next last

1 posted on 08/29/2012 1:31:51 PM PDT by NYer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: netmilsmom; thefrankbaum; Tax-chick; GregB; saradippity; Berlin_Freeper; Litany; SumProVita; ...
Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


2 posted on 08/29/2012 1:32:30 PM PDT by NYer (Without justice, what else is the State but a great band of robbers? - St. Augustine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

So what? Why is this relevant?


3 posted on 08/29/2012 1:33:28 PM PDT by DManA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DManA
So what? Why is this relevant?

There are millions of potential rape victims breathing a huge sigh of relief.

4 posted on 08/29/2012 1:37:24 PM PDT by bigheadfred
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: NYer

So, Dr Aiken WAS right! The media owe him an apology, and the RNC owes him $5 million of campaign funding!


5 posted on 08/29/2012 1:43:45 PM PDT by 2harddrive
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2harddrive

Congressman Akin was too quick starting his apology tour instead of just taking the hits and moving on to other issues such as the economy.


6 posted on 08/29/2012 1:47:00 PM PDT by tsowellfan (Voting for Obama/Biden is like purposely swallowing two tapeworms)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: 2harddrive

No, it’s a crock of *ite.

1.6% vs 2-4%. I mean, what’s the difference between 2-4% and 3 +/-33%?

If your taking data from a collection of information you have an exact numerical sampling and they either got pregnant or they didn’t. So why 2%-4%? This should be a finite number.

It means you have an uncontrolled sampling, but who wants to do a controlled sampling of rape vs pregnancy anyway.


7 posted on 08/29/2012 1:54:28 PM PDT by Usagi_yo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: NYer

I actually saw a National Geographic show about sex that stated a woman in a marriage or committed relationship is less likely to get pregnant when she has an affair. They had several doctors state that the woman’s body adapted to the regular partner’s sperm and would fight off a new one.


8 posted on 08/29/2012 1:55:31 PM PDT by BubbaBasher ("Liberty will not long survive the total extinction of morals" - Sam Adams)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

Why is it so hard to believe that a woman under a huge amount of stress from being raped, is less likely to become pregnant than would be otherwise?


9 posted on 08/29/2012 1:57:05 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Congrats to Ted Kennedy! He's been sober for two years now!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bigheadfred

Wow.


10 posted on 08/29/2012 1:58:38 PM PDT by DManA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: tsowellfan
Akin is a good guy and I hope he weathers this storm. However, conservatives should learn from what just happened to Akin. There is no point in trying to have an honest, nuanced public discussion about abortion because the media will distort and destroy. Pro-life politicians should say: “Every fetus is an unborn child and every unborn child has a right to life. The circumstances surrounding the pregnancy do not determine whether an unborn child is human. Therefore, abortion is never justified. However, it is morally licit to propose or support legislation that has exceptions or that protects only a portion of unborn children from abortion — if such legislation is more likely to pass than an absolute ban at that time. As Voltaire said, “Le mieux est l’enemmie du bien” - the perfect is the enemy of the good.” The ban on parital-birth abortions is an example of such legislation: you could argue that it should have been rejected because it didn't protect all unborn babies, only those about to be killed by that particular method. Yet, did any pro-life groups oppse the ban for that reason? Pro-life politicians should say that no unborn babies should be killed, but that we'll start by saving 10%, 30%, 98%, etc.
11 posted on 08/29/2012 1:59:55 PM PDT by utahagen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: VeniVidiVici

But only if it’s a “legitimate” rape. If the rapee actually liked it all bets are off.


12 posted on 08/29/2012 2:01:12 PM PDT by DManA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: 2harddrive

Tell that to 31,000 women last year and then add that till the child is 18 or 21 - looks like a big number to me. Tell Akin he and Trent Lott are why we don’t suffer fools.


13 posted on 08/29/2012 2:04:12 PM PDT by q_an_a (the more laws the less justice)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: NYer
The difference between 1.6% and 2-4% is a factor of two difference. Not trivial. I've seen reports from 30 years ago explaining how a why a woman engaging in consenting intercourse is more likely to get pregnant than not. The point is, Aiken was correct if in-artful in his assertion.

Making this observation does not in any way diminish the crime of rape. Anyone convicted of rape should have their privates slowly removed with a rusty blade.

But facts are stubborn things.

14 posted on 08/29/2012 2:05:03 PM PDT by LaserJock
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

I think the first problem is in quantifying the difference between date rapes where the victim knew the perpetrator and the forcible rape scenarios where the perpetrator was either a complete stranger, or someone having no close relationship to the victim.


15 posted on 08/29/2012 2:06:56 PM PDT by fso301
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2harddrive

“So, Dr Aiken WAS right! The media owe him an apology, and the RNC owes him $5 million of campaign funding!”

~ ~ ~

Proof of our evil times, Akin was condemned for being
totally for life...God’s way while Romney is praised for
being the man to lead our Country. Is that crazy?

Yes because Romney’s has record of legislating abortion, increasing the murder of the most innocent~! Plus, a second
abomination, furthering the homosexual agenda.

No need to discuss BHO, he has done the same.


16 posted on 08/29/2012 2:08:16 PM PDT by stpio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: VeniVidiVici
"Why is it so hard to believe that a woman under a huge amount of stress from being raped, is less likely to become pregnant than would be otherwise"

Not to defend Akin, but this is absolutely true. To be graphic, not every rapist ejaculates. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if it's actually uncommon. As we've learned, rape is used for power/control/terrorizing the victim. Look at all the rapes that occur in prison. Men use it as a "weapon" to show dominance. It's not just uncontrollable lust.

Akin is still a fool, though.

17 posted on 08/29/2012 2:09:45 PM PDT by boop (It's not personal...it's strictly business)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: DManA; 2harddrive
So what? Why is this relevant?

As freeper 2harddrive commented:

So, (Congressman) Dr Aiken WAS right! The media owe him an apology, and the RNC owes him $5 million of campaign funding!

18 posted on 08/29/2012 2:10:32 PM PDT by NYer (Without justice, what else is the State but a great band of robbers? - St. Augustine)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: NYer

This would have had to be a woman OB/GYN for it to receive any traction.


19 posted on 08/29/2012 2:11:35 PM PDT by skinndogNN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fso301; NYer
Another problem is figuring out the % of women who have a positive pg test after a rape, who were (unbeknownst to them) already pregnant at the time of the rape.

It happens... more than people think.

20 posted on 08/29/2012 2:12:27 PM PDT by Mrs. Don-o ("You can observe a lot just by watchin'." - Yogi Berra)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-63 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson