Could some Christians please justify how abortion is not acceptable even in cases of rape or incest.?

Question

If a 12 year old incest victim is forced to carry her own father's baby to full term, how is she meant to recover from the already considerable horrors of her life?

If a woman(or a girl) has been raped and then she must grow within her the child of the man or men who so abused her how do you think that impacts upon her traumatised psyche?

And where do you get off telling all of us who believe differently that WE must live by your rules on thi?.

I respect your right to react any way you want if you are raped. But leave the rest of us to take back what power and autonomy left to us after such an ordeal in the way which allows us to recover and learn to live again. Palin wishes to take this right from all American women, no matter what their religious affiliations. Do you think this is ok?

Answer 1

If you cannot see the evil of dissecting a living fetus, you will never understand.

There is no good reason.

The culture of darkness that exists is the real problem, the people who would do this at the drop of a hat, and the ones who would look the other way.

A woman can take a morning after pill, to stop this from happening, from ever needing an abortion.

Answer 2

I am totally pro-choice, but I've always wondered how, if abortion is wrong, it can be okay when the baby is the result of incest or rape.  The theory is that the infant has the right to life, right?  So why would that change because of how its conceived?  The baby still has the right to exist, it's not its fault how it was conceived.  And birth defects only occur after accumulated generations of inbreeding, so we can't use that as an excuse.  

If the argument is right to life, that extends to all life.  So no, I think this is much more about controlling a woman's sexuality than any love of unborn infants.

Answer 3

If a woman gets raped,then go after the rapist,NOT the baby.The baby does not deserve the death penalty because of the crime of the biological father.Even with incest,there are many many couples who would love to adopt those babies.Even from rape or incest.Here is a lady who was a product of rape herself:

http://www.pamstenzel.com

Answer 4

Abortion is the murder of an unborn child. If a woman is raped, the baby within her is still a child whether she likes it or not. The baby should not be aborted because it is innocent. The baby had nothing to do with what happened to the woman. I'm not saying the woman is guilty, but the baby is certainly not guilty either. If she doesn't want the baby then she should consider adoption, not murder. I mean think about it... what if your mother had aborted you? Kind of a scary thought.  

Answer 5

There's a woman I work with that I would like to have aborted, but some people are so intolerant that they think 25 years is too late, and actually call it 'murder'.  Can you believe it?  Some people say she's developed into an actual person already, others disagree.  Either way, I feel I have a right to abort her because her existence is an inconvenience to me.

Does that make sense?  Why would it make any more sense to kill a baby?

Answer 6

Actually, if you read the bible, god was very much for abortion.

Answer 7

May I mention an example that is (to me) even more dramatic than rape or incest? A high risk pregnancy; where the 'high risk' has gotten to the point of probablility, that someone dies; mother or unborn baby. In my present opinion, then an 'abortion' should be 'legal'.  

AS for other things; here is a (scriptural) thought' if life is in the blood (scripture), when does a 'baby' (in womb) have blood?  

Answer 8

I'm a Muslim, and I believe that Allah knows best. The baby may be the best thing to happen to the woman's life.

But personally? I would have an abortion. It sounds so cruel, but the society would never accept such a baby.

Answer 9

I dunno why anyone would wanna marry their rapist let alone give birth to their child!  I don't care how wrong you think murder is but a pregnancy as a result of rape or incest should never be allowed for the sake of the mother, child or society!

Think of the mother who has the be reminded of her ordeal daily, the child who will grow up to learn the shame that their father was a rapist (queue the mental scars) and as for incest, the debilitating illnesses and mental problems that can arise from being "inbred".

I would hate if I had to grow up to learn I was the result of incest or rape!  I would be angry that my mother carried me full-term!

I'm not saying abortion is always right, but you can't ever take away a woman's freedom of choice, let them make their choice as its their life at the end of the day, not anyone else's!

Answer 10

Because the baby does not deserve to die for what his or her father did.

Kirstine:  No, it is not the life of the mother that is in question here.  It is the life of the child that is in question.  Whether the mother kills her baby or not, she will continue to live.  If she kills her baby then her baby is dead.  She has the right to keep the baby or allow another family to raise the child.  But she does not have the right to kill her baby.

Answer 11

Nobody has the right to impose abortion on a woman.

I often wonder if people who are pro life were raped and abused themselves whether they would still be pro life.

I dont think they could truly appreciate the psychological trauma. It always seems to happen to someone else huh?

Answer 12

I am pro-life personally.  Politically/legislatively, here's my take:

Roe v. Wade should never have happened. The supreme court violated the 10th amendment in ruling on it at all.  A question of whether an activity is a murderous act or not has ALWAYS been left to the individual states.

I lean towards allowance of abortion in these cases mentioned above due to, well, one, it's just flat out unhealthy for all parties involved if a 12 year old carries a baby full-term.  That's just common sense.

The rape issue is a hard one for me to address.  The smart thing to do, is with the technology and advances available, is just make d**n sure that morning-after pills are available and extremely accessible.  Even though someone's been victimized, it's still their responsibility to sek appropriate care for themselves afterwards in a timely manner.  Morning-after pills need to be as common and known as aspirin.  That would go a long way towards resolving that question.

Answer 13

Abortion is not a sin. In bible, I think there is no mention about it. Unless a child is born on earth, it is not a living being. So, you can abort a pregnancy if it is required. If abortion is a sin, then using contraceptive also is a sin.  

Answer 14

The question is, "what conditions legitimize the killing of a human being?"

When it is okay to kill someone?

I agree that rape and incest are horrible, but kill the rapist, not the baby.

This brings the issue back to the heart of the matter: what is the unborn.  If the unborn is a human being, than no situation justifies killing her.  However if the unborn is not a human being, then situations can determine the morality of this issue.

Lets say the rape victim goes on to have the child.  Then 5 years later, the child reminds the mother of the horrible event, and she lashes out in wrath, killing the 5-year-old.

Is that right - of course not.

What about 1 year after the birth.  Can she kill the child then?

What about 5 minutes after the birth?

What about 5 minutes before the birth?

Does a displacement of 8 inches down the birth canal change what kind of being is inside the mother?

The 1 year old child is no less human than the 5 year old child - so level of development can't be the issue, no matter what level of development you go back to.

The size of the child doesn't make it more human.  Spud Web is not less of a human than Shaq just because he's smaller.

The Babies location and environment doesn't make it less human.  You aren't any less human when you roll over 8 inches in bed, so surely the unborn is not any more human after traveling the birth canal.

The degree of dependency is not a factor, for there are many full grown adults completely dependent on insulin, nitro glicerin, and other medications to live.  Even the new-born is not viable on her own, but she is still human.

After my suffering from a violent rape some years back, my baby is now living in a happy home with her adopted parents and she's doing well in school.  A life is a life.  Don't take that gift away from someone regardless of how selfless you have to be.

Answer 15

What if that raped 12 year old had supporting, loving parents whom she could go to and could help her raise the child?  Then she has no NEED for abortion.  Why should the baby pay for another man's crimes?  I once met the daughter of a rape person (gorgeous, sweet girl with a wonderful mother).  Who are we to take life away?  Isn't that God's right?  I mean, I feel SO sorry for rape victims, but if they kill their baby, they will be worse than their raper, won't they?  God said, "Vengeance is MINE".  

Answer 16

Stella,

           This weak  argument has long been used by proponents of abortion . Here's the problem. Out of the millions of abortions had each yr. Do you know how many are a result of rape ,incest or protecting the mothers life ? I will tell you.. about 4%.. The other 96% have to do with people refusing to exercise sexual self control and they go on to use abortion as a method of birth control . So millions of babies are being slaughtered just for  convenience sake . Do you think proponents of abortion want to keep it legal for those who are victims of incest or rape ? Absolute not.. For them it's a convenience and a form of birth control and that is very very disturbing in my opinion. Me personally.... I would gladly make it legal for the 4% if they would agree to make it illegal for the 96 % who are using this horrible procedure as a form of birth control..But I guarantee if you were to make that offer to hardcore abortionist they would flat our reject it.. May God have mercy on the souls of those who are promoting this awful practice....

Answer 17

In Exodus God makes it very plain that those who cause a woman to lose her fruit are sinning.

God set a method for determining the punishment for that sin which is not the same as murder.

God told Moses that those who strive and cause a woman to lose her fruit should be punished according to how the Judges and the Father decide.

This leaves the subject of punishment for the sin of abortion up to the choices people make.

In the United States the Judges of the Supreme Court have decided that the punishment for the sin of abortion is nothing.

I am a Christian who believes that Christ is the human embodiment of God in the world.  I believe in the saving Grace of Christ through the Holy Ghost so that we may come to the Father God.

Those who claim that the scripture tells us that God made abortion the same as murder shall have their reward.  

Answer 18

because christians believe that abortion is murder and that even if you are raped, it still should not mean that you should "murder" your "child".  The bible states that life begins at conception therefore abortion is murder.

The christian religion does not  believe in euthanasia either. The idea is that you should not kill no matter what the circumstances.

Thank You

Answer 19

You are correct.  Points such as yours, which can be supported only by religions understandings, should not be legislated, but should be left for individual choices.  Other such include suicide, and many other 'legal' issues that are really not legal, for they are a tyranny of the majority.

Answer 20

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.



2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae," "by the very commission of the offense," and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

2322 From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice (GS 27 § 3), gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life.

2274 Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.

Prenatal diagnosis is morally licit, "if it respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safe guarding or healing as an individual. . . . It is gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent of a death sentence."

Answer 21

Wow, how sad for her.  I am a Christian.  I have a set of beliefs that I live by.  They are for me and I am not supposed to impose them on others.