Replies

If the woman is ovulating, and sperm meets the egg, whether its a forced rape, a date rape, casual sex or a committed couple trying to reproduce, pregnancy will occur, there are no other factors that would conceivably prevent it, additionally, the impact of "stress" is highly exaggerated by Willke, if this were true, we'd see 1 out of every 2 pregnancies as a result of rape end up in miscarriages but the numbers simply don't support it.

Actually, half of all fertilized ova do not implant to cause a pregnancy. Stress can decrease the number that implant. Of the implanted blastocysts, 50% to 75% miscarry before the woman knows she is pregnant. Stress can increase that number. So, yes, it *is* true that rape decreases the number of clinically diagnosed pregnancies. Furthermore, rape increases the rate of miscarriage of diagnosed pregnancies. Upshot: Akin may not fully understand the scientific background and does not have the scientific fluency to clearly express what he was thinking, he *was* correct.

I was taught in high school back in the 1970s that women almost never get pregnant from rape, and I've seen that concept expressed several times since. Why is it now, when a conservative says it, all of a sudden the most ludicrous idea on earth? It shouldn't even be controversial.

(Of course, the question of whether the rare child conceived by rape deserves to die because of it is a different issue.)