Can We Separate the Issues of Abortion and Rape?
And Who Suffers When We Do?
Many pro-choice activists and journalists argue that rape should not determine a woman’s right to abortion. In a May 17, 2019 Medium article, “Stop Bringing Up Rape to Discuss Abortion,” Stark Raving says:
“A woman’s rights should not depend on her sexual decisions. Whether she was raped, or chose to have sex and had a damn good time, is irrelevant to the fact that each individual should have a choice about who sets up camp in their uterus. To suggest otherwise is to cast judgement over women’s choices, to suggest that a woman who consensually had sex and fell pregnant deserves to be punished for her choice. The question of pregnancies through rape is irrelevant to the question of abortion.”
I recognize that many so-called pro-life activists waver on the question of rape and incest (which are far too often combined). Exemptions for these situations don’t address the fundamental issue of a woman’s right to choose.
I question, though, that the issue of rape is irrelevant to that of abortion. I don’t presume to have the answer. This article explores the possibility that we shouldn’t be so quick to separate these issues.
