Posted on 12/08/2014 10:36:04 AM PST by wagglebee
Last January, I was traveling on business, staying in a little hotel in a college town. I like to think I’m usually more aware of my surroundings, but it was so snowy and windy that I wouldn’t have heard his footsteps even if he had he been stomping. It happened so fast. I got the door open, turned around to close it, and he was there – a huge man. My first instinct wasn’t fear, just confusion. In an instant, he punched me in the face. I don’t remember being dragged from the room, but I was found in the stairwell. I don’t know why — maybe I was trying to go for help.
The rape kit came back negative for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and dozens of other things I’d never heard of. God is gracious.
The following month, I was scheduled to work on a cruise ship. Struck with dysentery on day two and not getting better with antibiotics, I was taken to what passes for a hospital when we docked in Cartagena, Colombia. Concerned about intestinal obstruction, I was given an ultrasound. And we saw the pea — my son. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Back on the ship, I told the doctors an abbreviated version of my story, which resulted in me being quarantined. Suicide watch? In danger of a psychotic break that will have me running naked across the shuffleboard courts? Who knows. What I know is that I spent the next week listening to a team of very well meaning doctors and nurses console me with how “easy” it would be to “take care of it” — to kill the child. To start over. Easy???
There were a lot of things discussed over scratchy, tearful transatlantic phone calls home that week, but the possibility of “taking care of it” never came off my lips. Or my husband’s. When I told him I was pregnant, he said with his voice calm and steady, “Okay. Okay . . . all right . . . this is all right.” I asked him, “What do you MEAN this is all right?” “I mean we can do this. We’ll get through this. It’ll be okay. And, . . . I love babies. We’re going to have another baby. Sweetheart, this is a gift. This is something wonderful from something terrible. We can DO this.” And I began to feel the stirrings of joy for the new life in my womb, blossoming under my heart. That new love that would grow so fierce it overwhelmed any trepidation or angst. And my husband was right. We could do it.
On my last morning aboard the ship, I said to this caring team, “If you ever think about this again, if you ever wonder what happened to me — I had a beautiful baby in October 2014.” Their reaction . . . , the looks on their faces . . . , the doctor who had pushed abortion more vehemently than the others — she had tears in her eyes. For the first time, I thought of how God can use this, this nightmare I’d endured. Use me.
I live in North Carolina. My OB who delivered my last two children was running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. He talks to people all the time who challenge him with the “What about in cases of rape?” question. What about them? My son will have a voice. Until he can use it, it’s my responsibility — my privilege — to speak for him. That’s my story.
During my pregnancy, I was in and out of the hospital for a couple of months – more in than out. I had preeclampsia, high blood pressure and uncontrolled seizures. It was terrifying at 26 weeks when they admitted me saying they might have to deliver that night — terrifying because I desperately wanted my son to live! We got past that fear. I had strict bed rest, but was home. Every week we made it further was awesome, knowing how glad I’d be once he got here safely in my arms. Emotionally, I was doing very well.
We were working with a really godly team of doctors. It’s just a matter of trusting utterly. This wasn’t new. I’d felt completely out of control since the assault in January — not that “control” is ever anything but an illusion, but, you know. 8-1/2 months ago the world upended and hadn’t righted since — until my son was born. It’s not a bad thing. It keeps me on my knees, keeps me from my arrogant, self reliant “It’s okay, God. I got this” attitude, which I’m so quick to adopt.
Our little boy may have been conceived in violence, but he is a gift from God — a delicious gift that filled the hole in our family that we never realized was there. He made us complete.
I’m so thankful to have been connected to other mothers who became pregnant by rape as well. We are survivors. Not victims. My son has healed me.
The pressure to abort from the medical community was extremely eye opening to me. So many times I was told how “simple” it would be and how quickly I could just “get on with my life” once it was over. It was heartbreaking to have to repeatedly hear it. Even some friends thought keeping the baby was a mistake — that I wouldn’t be able to handle things emotionally. Every time we, as rape survivor mothers, share our stories, we are strengthened as we strengthen others. . . . And who knows what lives might be spared?
LifeNews Note: Jennifer Christie is a wife and mother of 5, and a blogger for www.savethe1.com.
It appears that Age of Reason, refermech and July4 believe some combination of the following:
A. Women typically lie about being raped.
B. Women don't get pregnant from rape.
C. Women who do get pregnant from rape SHOULD kill the baby.
Which is it?
Can any of you give a single reason why a woman would have a rape kit done in JANUARY if she didn't know she was pregnant until FEBRUARY?
Can any of you give a single reason why a woman would go through this elaborate ruse and then GO PUBLIC with it?
Or, do you believe that the pro-life movement is somehow so unscrupulous that they would fabricate a story about a baby conceived in rape?
Is that it? Do you believe the pro-life movement is the problem here?
Are you three among the FRiberals who think everything would be so much better if the evil pro-lifers would just go away?
Well said.
I do not believe the A, B, or C statements that you have listed. I do believe that it is not conducive to honest debate to insult and mischaracterize speakers who do not feel that they have enough evidence to come to conclusions. I work in a field where we must deal in provable facts; there is no need to feel hostile or threatened. I, and I think the others — all the others — just want to be certain of facts. One person’s story, no matter how emotionally compelling, is just that: one person’s story. It may or may not be entirely true.
I do not believe the A, B, or C statements that you have listed. I do believe that it is not conducive to honest debate to insult and mischaracterize speakers who do not feel that they have enough evidence to come to conclusions. I work in a field where we must deal in provable facts; there is no need to feel hostile or threatened. I, and I think the others — all the others — just want to be certain of facts. One person’s story, no matter how emotionally compelling, is just that: one person’s story. It may or may not be entirely true.
Then why doubt this woman's story?
I do believe that it is not conducive to honest debate to insult and mischaracterize speakers who do not feel that they have enough evidence to come to conclusions.
Let's go back to what Age of Reason said in post 17:
If she didnt abort the rapists kid, then it wasnt rape.
How is that a "mischaracterization" and how is it not a conclusion?
I work in a field where we must deal in provable facts;
Okay, let's assume that a woman is cheating on her spouse, why have a rape kit done one month BEFORE discovering she was a month pregnant?
One persons story, no matter how emotionally compelling, is just that: one persons story. It may or may not be entirely true.
Again, can you give a single reason why a woman would cheat on her husband, have a rape kid done and then GO PUBLIC with the story? Call me skeptical but that scenario carries a lot of risk and no benefit.
I will ask again, do you believe that the pro-life movement is somehow so unscrupulous that they would fabricate a story about a baby conceived in rape? A simple YES or NO will suffice.
The going public with the story is for me the kicker. No way someone who made up a rape to cover for an extramarital dalliance would go public with the (fake) story. To suggest that is pure...well I don’t know what it would be really but fanciful comes to mind.
Also, she apparently involved the entire cruise ship’s staff in on the hoax? Telling every single one that she was raped and not simply carrying the product of an affair?
It boggles the mind to believe that. As the late Casey Kasum used to say, “Ponderous man, ponderous”.
And in the 10+ years I’ve been on FR I’ve never said this but you should be permanantly banned for this post. Banned to wallow in the shame of your own making.
What you said is disgusting, evil and has no place on FR. I have never seen a more reprehensible post in all my years here (and I’ve seen some doozies). You’re lucky I’m not JR.
I remember a family who was profiled in Christianity Today who had conceived the middle of five or six children via rape. The child was obviously other race and the family always got questions about adoption.
The statement that slayed me in the article was when the husband said to the wife when she found that she was pregnant: This baby is part of you and I could never reject anything that wasn’t part of you.
Casey Kasem
**********************************
In what field do you work?
It doesn't matter, there is still a pro-abortion contingent on FR and they will become much more vocal as the presidential campaign heats up.
It seems so bizarre to me that anyone would accuse this woman of lying.
I always misspell his name I don’t know why.
That must be it. The only way that they can rationalize their belief is to deny that this woman was raped, and call her a liar.
Sick.
Probably because it’s pronounced, “Kasum.”
Happens to the best of us. ;-)
Yet they still haven't provided any explanation why she was found beaten in a stairwell and had a rape kit done at the time.
Stories are a dime a dozen. Need corroborating evidence.
_____________________
You quoted: “If she didn'tt abort the rapists kid, then it wasn'tt rape.”
You asked: “How is that a “mischaracterization” and how is it not a conclusion?”
Not my statement. I have no idea what the author meant.
_______________________
You referenced the rape kit. No proof of anything here. Purely a “she said.”
______________________
Sorry, but I respectfully submit that a simple yes or no will not suffice here. I just don't have enough information to go on. Great story, but lots of questions in my mind about the authenticity. Like the Rolling Stone and UVA rape stories, this made a good read, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
So, for this story to be credible, the woman needs to provide evidence to the reader that she was raped for it to be believed? The fact that a respected pro-life news outlet vouches for her credibility isn't enough?
Not my statement. I have no idea what the author meant.
No, it was Age of Reason who wrote:
If she didnt abort the rapists kid, then it wasnt rape.
However, it was posted in response to this statement by YOU:
do believe that it is not conducive to honest debate to insult and mischaracterize speakers who do not feel that they have enough evidence to come to conclusions.
You are writing about OTHERS whom you defended throughout your post #63.
You referenced the rape kit. No proof of anything here. Purely a she said.
Got it, a respected pro-life news source isn't credible for what they report.
Sorry, but I respectfully submit that a simple yes or no will not suffice here. I just don't have enough information to go on. Great story, but lots of questions in my mind about the authenticity. Like the Rolling Stone and UVA rape stories, this made a good read, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
There is absolutely no similarity between this story and the Rolling Stone story. This is about a rape victim choosing to love her child. Rolling Stone was an unverified attack on a respected university.
So, I will ask again:
Do you believe that the pro-life movement is somehow so unscrupulous that they would fabricate a story about a baby conceived in rape?
There is absolutely no reason that you would be unable to answer this. I am not asking if you believe the woman's story is true, I'm asking if you think the pro-life movement would fabricate a story.
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