A fetus has no "right to life" if it is the product of rape.

[LucyDuke]

Time for a visit to everybody's favorite flamefest. I ask that we please keep it focused and not have yet another debate about abortion in general.

It seems like the majority of people who oppose abortion find it at least acceptable, maybe just tolerable, in cases of rape or when pregnancy threatens a woman's life. Myself, I think abortion is between pregnant people and doctors, not legislators or evangelicals. But that's not the point - the point is that weird line that "pro-lifers" see when rape results in pregnancy. The situations where the abortion is a life-saving procedure aren't too confusing, it's one loss instead of two. The rape line, though, I don't understand. If you believe a fetus has rights, how can those rights be contingent upon the circumstances of its conception?

So, anti-abortion folks, what gives? Why does a fetus conceived by rape have any less "right to life" than a fetus conceived by consensual sex?

 

[ainwood]

Many will say that there is no difference; because they put the life of a foetus ahead of the horror of the impact on the raped mother.

 

[QuoVadisNation]

Many pro-lifers also like asserting the right to life for fetuses while at the same time saying war in countries like Iraq, people dieing in Africa from disease, and life without basic government funded health care and medicine is all right too. No one said their arguments have to make a hell of a lot of sense.

 

[Prince_Imrahil]

The Pro-lifers but rape may be an exception folks I've heard put it like this... the woman has no control over the situation when it comes to rape, so she is not responsible for the fetus being in her body, she did not permit it, through her actions, to have a right to use her body. They say that even protected sex, she has knowledge thazt it might result in birth and thus grants any fetus from that the right, however rape is against her will.

Still if they value 'human life' then thats a flimsy premise.

 

[GenMarshall]

I dont see why it is right for a woman to be placed upon her the burden of emotional scars from the man who raped her. Everyday for her life (If she gives birth and raises the child) she will be constantly reminded of that event. Not a good thing for a person to be suffering with the pain of the rape.

I'd hypothesize that a woman who carries the child of the rapist and brings it to term would have a higher risk of developing Postpartum depression and other psychological problems.

 

[Jawz II]

I see you've moved on from Bill Hicks to Doug Stanhope.

It's a great point he makes, how come a fetus is a person like the rest of us with the same right, unless the fathers is a dick (rapist)?

How does that go together exactly evangelical right wingers? Wait, let me strap myself down for this one. [/Hicks]

 

[Tee Kay]

I dont see why it is right for a woman to be placed upon her the burden of emotional scars from the man who raped her. Everyday for her life (If she gives birth and raises the child) she will be constantly reminded of that event. Not a good thing for a person to be suffering with the pain of the rape.

I'd hypothesize that a woman who carries the child of the rapist and brings it to term would have a higher risk of developing Postpartum depression and other psychological problems.

If pro-lifers consider a foetus a human, than why should it pay for what the rapist did to the woman? Wouldn't it be like killing a child because the father used to abuse his mother?

 

[Ramius75]

Imagine such a scenario. A very Verile serial rapist goes around and pregnant at least 20 women before he was caught and send to prison. So what are the 20 women suppose to do ?

1) give birth, produce and nurture the 20++ offspring for the serial rapist?
2) go for an abortion and try to forget about the past and live their new life. Without a constant reminder of the rape incident?

We human are merely mortal animals, not saint. And if there is no afterlife, there wont be any karma also. So please don't be so cruel to oneself and live the life for others. Don't live the mistakes of others.

 

[shortguy]

I'm a bit ambivalent on the issue, but I'd suggest that perhaps an abortion in such cases is a lesser evil than forcing the mother to endure the physical and emotional suffering of carrying a child as a result of a rape. That really isn't a "right to life" defense, though, so I can't really help you.

 

[Equuleus]

I am pro life and I would hope the mother choses adoption instead, but she has a right to end the pregnancy if she was raped.

 

[Prince_Imrahil]

I am pro life and I would hope the mother choses adoption instead, but she has a right to end the pregnancy if she was raped.

And what Miss LucyDuke is looking for is WHY you hold that view? (that the woman has a right to end the life of the fetus since you are Pro-Life?)

 

[Equuleus]

It was beyond her control.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Does that make the life of the fetus any less valuable?

 

[Equuleus]

My position is that abortion should be illegal after the the first trimester.

It is a tragedy I would hope that the mother would choose adoption.
But a woman should not be forced to go through that trauma after being raped.

 

[Rik Meleet]

God gave the rape-fetus its life and with a reason. Who are we to go against God wishes?

 

[Equuleus]

Many people try to make it a black & white issue.
But there are many shades of gray & it is a very difficult issue.

 

[REDY]

I am againist abortion, but I think we should respect some cases. Its hard to be radical now when abortion is respected way of murder even in democracy countries. I think that about fetus life it should be decision also by dad and some medical institution, not only from mother. I am generally shocked that dads kid should be legally killed without his agreement or ven without his knowledge.

 

[Kozmos]

People talk about black and white and shades of gray but what about colors man? We need some pretty colors.

 

[LuckyAC]

So we should kill one person to stop another person from feeling sad? I think you have your priorities wrong, not hurting someone's feelings never trumps murder... Bush makes me depressed, let's kill him!

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

A reminder (allready) that this is not about abortion in general but the question in the OP was:

Why does a fetus conceived by rape have any less "right to life" than a fetus conceived by consensual sex?