11. Rape and Incest

RAPE & INCEST

(Abortion WON'T BRING THE HEALING YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR)

I was raped and got pregnant. Nobody told me the abortion would hurt more emotionally than the rape.
-Maya

Rape SURVIVOR
I became pregnant at age 18 through acquaintance rape by a neighbor. I didn’t know that what he had done was considered criminal sexual assault and was against the law. I told no one about the rape. My mother died when I was 12, and my alcoholic father abused my six younger siblings and me on a daily basis. Shortly after I found out I was pregnant my father kicked me out of the house for good. I was literally homeless, jobless, motherless, penniless, pregnant, and alone.
Everyone was encouraging and pressuring me to get an abortion. They said things like, “You know what you have to do.” I was even offered money to “get rid of it.” I had no support, and at times I felt like I was drowning in darkness. Yet I had one magnificent secret gift—the flourishing life of my unborn baby. This life gave me a thread of hope to begin to heal. I gave birth to a precious baby girl with blue eyes and dark hair, so tiny and so vulnerable. I named her Jennifer, and I knew she was a sacred gift to be loved and cherished. My daughter is wonderful, and she has touched many lives including my own. I am so thankful for giving birth to her; I have no regrets.
—Cindy

Researchers David C. Reardon, Julie Makimaa, and Amy Sobie completed a nine-year study on pregnancy outcomes of sexual assault victims.  As part of their research the authors found that after any abortion, it is common for women to experience guilt, depression, feelings of being “dirty,” resentment of men, and lowered self-esteem. These feelings are identical to what women typically feel after rape. Abortion only adds to and accentuates the traumatic feelings associated with sexual assault. Rather than easing the psychological burdens, abortion adds to them.