The politician’s song has been sung so often for so long that it sounds quite logical—and even many fervent pro-lifers believe it.“I’m absolutely against abortion,” they insist, “except, of course, in cases of rape and incest.”They argue that it’s somehow “compassionate” to offer the woman victim the opportunity to eliminate the results of an attack. The ultimate question, however, is: “What about the baby?”
In simple terms, two wrongs do not make a right. A second wrong only makes a bad situation worse.
Our abhorrence towards rape or incest engenders sympathy for the victim, and rightly so. However, our sympathy and concern for the victim should not cloud our judgment on what is right or wrong.The preborn baby equally deserves our sympathy and concern, especially under such challenging circumstances.
In rape or incest, promotion of “therapeutic abortion” means “murder-as-therapy.” Even if an abortion could provide the assault victim temporary relief, there’s no evidence that abortion provides longterm benefits. Any negative effects—physical, psychological or spiritual—arising from the abortion can only compound pre-existing problems, and so the mother is victimized twice or three times or more. Also destroyed are the positive benefits that may arise from unselfishly preserving the life of her child.
A negative event should be handled with a positive response. Killing a preborn baby is not, and never can be, a positive response to any situation. We deplore incest. In contrast, conception, regardless of the circumstances, is not negative: it is the creation of a new, unique and precious human being.
Abortion for rape cases punishes the innocent child more severely than the guilty rapist. An “innocent bystander,” if you will, is given the death sentence while the criminal has the opportunity to amend his life.
Abortion may seem like the best course of action after being assaulted, but there is growing evidence that it harms the victim physically, psychologically and spiritually in the long term. Moreover,
every preborn baby has the right to life regardless of the circumstances under which he or she was conceived.
To summarize, murder is not a solution, even if the temporarily distraught mother believes it is. Please remember that the next time someone tells you that abortion, in these circumstances, is the right choice. Abortion is never the right choice. It is always a grave evil.
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