Abortion- in cases of rape, incest, etc.?

You are probably congratulating yourself on framing this question in such a way as to cause Christians to question whether or not abortion would be sanctioned by God in such a case.

Let me share some reality with you. I WAS raped and I DID get pregnant from that rape. I struggled with these questions. I agonized in prayer. I read scripture till my eyes burned. I cried out to God in despair and agony. It wasn't pretty or trite. It was a midnight nightmare of the soul!

Regardless of my feelings, regardless of my wishes, two facts were constant: 1)I was raped and became pregnant from the rape. 2)God said "Thou shalt NOT murder."

I went to an abortion clinic but I was under such heavy conviction by the Holy Spirit, that I fled when my name was called.

On January 7, 1981, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She was adopted through Buckner's Children's Village to a wonderful family in Corpus Christi, TX. Her adoptive parents named her Cassie. Several years ago her Mom sent me pictures. What I saw was a beautiful, talented, Christian girl who had all the love, encouragement, spiritual training, and opportunities life could offer. I have NEVER regretted my decision to trust God and honor His commandments! How do I know that she doesn't have some huge part in God's master plan? What could have possibly given me the right to play God and decided whether she got to live or not, simply because her conception and birth were uncomfortable for me?

The bottom line is that God's grace is sufficient to EVERY situation in our lives. When it comes down to where the rubber meets the road, we either believe every single word in the Bible or we believe none of it. God is a God of absolutes.

I like a lot of the answers here too, and I think they say it better than I could so all I want to do now is point out that your analogy is clever, but deceitful. The innocent bystander, for one, would have to be a result of the robber and would have to somehow be connected then for life as a dependant to the cop. The bystander would also have to be scientifically unconcious and a collection of a few cells. Or of course the cop could be a defensless woman who was scarred for life. Or the cop could have no justice or retribution knowing the robber got away for the rest of his life while leaving the cop with a decision that defines his own existence. Basically your argument is just a terrible missappropriation.

Apparently you don't get that it isn't the DAD - the rapist- who will have negative feelings toward the child. It is the mother, her family, etc- even if they don't wish to feel that way, it WILL indeed color EVERY reaction and acion they take towards that child.

Apparently you've never met a child that came of rape or incest who was raised by the mother or grandparents. I have, and even if they were loved, they KNOW they were treated differently and viewed differently that children concieved out of love in the same family.

Some have even been ostracised by their own families to the point that no one will allow them alone with their brothers and sisters, for fear that genetics will cause them to rape or abuse their siblings. Some grow up being told how worthless they are because they were the product of violence.

Truly, do you wish that on ANYONE?

Sometimes it's better to not have ever lived than to be put through a life of hatred.

You're viewing abortion as a punishment. Ask people who have been raised this way - ask them which they'd see as the worst punishment - having lived as they have, or having never lived at all. You'll find most of them are VERY pro abortion in cases of rape andf incest -and some wish they'd been aborted.

I find myself doing exactly that. I'm very much pro-life--I believe that an individual human is created at conception. But at the same time, as a woman putting myself in the situation of a woman who is pregnant by a rapist...even the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach.

You are right--it's not the baby's fault and the situation surrounding his/her conception does not make the baby any less human or innocent.

I know it's hypocritical. It's one of those situations that doesn't have a right answer in my opinion.

I think there's probably a difference between allowing abortion ONLY in those situations and supporting them. For whatever it's worth, one of my best friends has a child after being raped by a stranger. Her biggest concern is how to keep the rapist from asserting parental rights if she prosecutes him and he walks. Perhaps you people should focus some efforts here. The child is beautiful and I wish people like you had to look at her every time you post this trash. I don't see you libs yelling, "Kill the rapist, hang the rapist, shoot the rapist." Just "kill the baby!"

Have you ever had to get an abortion? Have you ever been in cases of rape or incest where you were pregnant by a man that took a part of your soul away basically, or by a cousin or uncle or brother even? People who have gotten abortions live in a hell of their own because of what they have done, so anyone picketing or pointing their finger at these girls really needs to get off the high horse. I'm Catholic, and I am pro-choice, when it comes to rape and incest and when the girl is as young as eleven years old. And your analogy doesn't fit, sorry. Two completely different scenarios.

The moral questions about abortion have nothing to do with who "deserves" punishment or not.

The real question concerns whether a zygote, blastocyst, embryo and fetus should be considered as "human persons", and how, if at all, the rights of such entities should be weighed against those of the woman.

Pro-choicers bring up this scenario, because it exposes the underlying assumptions of many anti-abortionists - that an unwanted pregnancy is a just punishment for "sexual immorality" on the part of the woman.

It's called collateral damage and a lot of people who are against abortion are FOR that. Many have voted Bush into the White House and look at what HE is doing! How many innocent people do you imagine our troops have had to kill because of our "pro-life" president? How do you explain pro-life people being for the death penalty? It doesn't make sense.

As far as I am concerned there are too many Christians trying to make laws instead of just focusing on their relationship with Christ. I am a Pro-Choice Christian because I don't feel I have the right to make that choice for another person. God gave each person that choice, why can't many 'Christians' do the same? Personally, I wouldn't have one because I don't believe that God approves, but it's not my job to police the nations.

There are no accidents in life. If someone is raped and has a kid, that is part of god's plan. Chalk it up to love, in an odd sort of way. Therefore, abortion is not allowed. That makes perfect sense, doesn't it, particularly if we don't think about it too much.

I'm anti killing babies for any reason. I think it is horrible to want to kill a baby over someone else doing an awful thing. If you can't handle having the baby, give it up for adoption. Someone else will love the baby. I have a son from a man who horribly abused me. He took myself away from me and forever changed my life. I'm terrified of him. I wouldn't mind at all if this man died. I hate him, and what he has done to me will always be in my mind...My son looks a lot like him...But I love my son. When I look at him I don't see the man who hurt me. I see my son. My son has nothing to do with his piece of crap dad. I have also been raped before and know what it feels like. I still do not believe in killing a baby...or any other innocent human beings for that matter......I just thought of something though...Sometimes when something so aweful as rape happens to you, you are so effected that your moral values are put to the curb and you have an extreme emotional reaction. I think this happens in a lot of instances. Someone who normally does not believe in killing kills. A person walks in to find their spouse in bed with another. Someone molested your child. A man abuses you day after day after day. A criminal kills your husband after breaking into your home....these things make you snap and do things you wouldn't normally do. Some commit murder. Some all of a sudden agree with the death penelty. Some get extremely depressed and never get their lives back. Some turn to drugs and alcohol. Some have an irrational hatred towards a certain group (such as hating all men because a man hurt you)...Things like this cause a person who is normally against abortion to have one. They want the rapist out of their body...seed and all.