Introduction
Research revealed that about 5% of rape cases among women resulted in pregnancy. Accordingly, many people consider tragic and undue circumstances such as rape and incest as a valid reason to turn to abortion when pregnancy occurs. Resorting to abortion under these cases, however, has been the subject of incessant debate. Two sides of the argument have been put forward about this theme, with people who believed that abortion is justifiable and those who claimed that abortion is not justifiable in any circumstance. In either way, most people would agree that women should not be made to endure from a crime that is not of their liking. A woman who was a victim of rape or incest has already suffered a violent crime, and it is wrong to make her suffer more by pushing through the pregnancy. For this reason, abortion should be allowed to guard the psychological, and physical health of the victim.
Rape and incest are traumatic experiences that may cause a woman to go through self-doubt and psychological distress, which in turn, can have an adverse effect on the well-being of both the mother and the child. One of the possible enduring effect of rape is the post-traumatic stress disorder which is an anxiety problem being a consequence of having gone through a traumatic event. According to a study sponsored by the National Center for PTSD, it was found that 94 out of 100 raped victims experienced PTSD within the first two weeks, and about 30% of them were reported to show the same symptoms nine months after the traumatic event (U.S, 2015). Another scientific research showed that “fetus and pregnancy are put in jeopardy by a constellation of maternal indicators of psychological distress (DiPietro et al, 2006). In addition to that, the unhealthy psychological and emotional state of the victim will put her health at risk and can result in adverse child outcome (Pina-Camacho et al, 2015). Accordingly, demanding that the woman goes through the whole term of pregnancy is harmful to both the mother and the unborn child, and these are strong justifications to allow abortion in cases of pregnancy due to rape.
A woman has already been through a grave form of injustice due to rape or incest, and denying her the option to abort is adding more to the offense. Carrying the unborn child for nine months, and bringing to life the child of an aggressor is the most painful experience there is. In instances when the woman pushes through with the pregnancy, she will have an unwanted child in the end. Research revealed that “love between parent and child is a crucial foundation for family integrity and wholesome child development” (Russon, 2002). However, it would be difficult for a woman to love the child of her aggressor, moreover, it was found that in cases “when abortion is denied, the resulting children are more likely to have a variety of social and psychological problems (Russon, 2002). Thus, as most people would agree, going on with the pregnancy will not only remind the woman of the injustice, but may also lead to other difficulties for the woman. She should at least have the freedom that includes the choice to decide and be respected on their decisions during difficult situations. As described in the Journal of Medical Ethics: “Denying women abortion is unethical because it subordinates women to a reproductive end”(Hewson, 2001). Resorting to abortion of pregnancy due to incest or rape promotes freedom and prevents the further suffering of the woman.
While people would agree that a woman should not be made to suffer the consequence of a violent and morally unacceptable crime, still some would argue against resorting to abortion in case of pregnancy. Those who are against abortion claimed that while it is true that a victim of rape may suffer from diverse psychological problems, it is still possible for her to recover with the help of understanding family and friends around her. Pro-life proponents argued that the mother's attitude towards the unwanted child will change from disgust to care as it was found that, “when given the proper support, most pregnant rape victims progressively change their attitude towards their unborn child”(qtd in Beckwith, 1990). However, support for women is not always available even with the presence of family and friends. Moreover, the effect of rape is more intense than what other people thought, rape victims “experience common symptoms of flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem” (Menna, 2016), and most of the time, they are left alone to confront their feelings. The long-term reaction of the rape victim towards the crime may include the harsh treatment of her unwanted child, thus, abortion is justifiable in this circumstance to avoid more complications in the long run.
Conclusion
Pregnancy because of rape occurs sparingly, however, the occurrence of which adds more pain to the victim who has already suffered much from the crime. The woman then has to make the decision to push through the pregnancy or resort to abortion. There are many people who advocated that abortion in any circumstance is not justifiable due to diverse reasons, the most common of which is morality. However, it is argued that the incidence of rape was tragic enough and the woman should not suffer more by having an unwanted child. There is also a higher risk of giving birth to an unhealthy child because the mother has to go through a lot of ordeal during pregnancy. Moreover, the woman may not be able to overcome the trauma, and may take it on her unwanted child. Consequently, the diverse effect of rape and the unwanted pregnancy can lead to many difficulties, thus abortion should be allowed in cases of pregnancy due to rape or incest.
References
DiPietro, J., Novak, M., Costigan, K., Atella, L., & Reusing, S. (2006). Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy in relation to child development at age two. Child Development.
Hewson, B. (2001). Reproductive autonomy and the ethics of abortion. Journal of Medical Ethics, 27. doi:10.1136/jme.27.suppl_2.ii10
Menna, A. (2016). Rape trauma syndrome: The journey to healing belongs to everyone. Retrieved from http://www.giftfromwithin.org/html/journey.html
Pina-Camacho, L., Jensen, S., Gaysina, D., & Barker, E. (2015). Maternal depression symptoms, unhealthy diet and child emotional-behaviroal dysregulation. Psychological Medicine, 45, 1851-1860.
Russo, N. (2002). When pregnancies are unwanted. Retrieved from http://www.prochoiceforum.org.uk/psy_ocr2.php
U.S Department of Veterans Affairs. (2015). PTSD: National Center for PTSD. Retrieved from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/women/sexual-assault-females.asp
