If a pregnancy results from rape, does carrying the baby only make the woman’s situation worse?
Rape is a horrendous crime, leaving a woman in a state of mental, physical, and emotional turmoil. If a woman becomes pregnant as the result of rape (this occurs less than 1% of the time), an abortion will not erase the fact that she was raped. Submitting the woman to a second unspeakable act of violence (abortion) will not take away the trauma, the nightmares, or the pain, but it may add to them. According to a survey conducted by Dr. David Reardon of the Elliot Institute in 1990, the psychological complications of abortion include guilt, nervous disorders, nightmares, and memory loss (over 100 psychiatric reactions in all). Additionally, if there was a pre-existing disordered state (like rape), abortion may cause a worsening of psychological functioning. Because of problems with our justice system, rapists often walk free, without punishment, while the child conceived because his or her mother was raped may suffer the ultimate injustice – abortion without the benefit of a trial or de
