While I do not agree to forced sterilization, using rape or incest as an excuse for making killing kids ok, is just ignorant. The overwhelming majority of abortions are abortions of convenience, and very few pregnancies result from rape or incest. And while rape and incest is horrible, it is NOT the childs fault, and killing the child does nothing to solve the problem, but in fact just adds guilt to everything else. It would be much better to adopt the child out.
If the rape victim is not treated, and if it is limited to true assault rape, the pregnancy rate will still be extremely small. If all "reported" rapes, including statutory rape (under 18-years-old, but sometimes with consent given), when drunk (with questionable consent), etc., it is higher. There are two such large, across-the-board studies of all reported rapes (with no reported attempt to validate them), in Washington, DC for the years 1965-69 and 1969-70. These reported on rape victims seen by private doctors, clinics, and hospitals, with no details as to treatment, if any. Of the 2,190 women in the first study and the 1,223 women in the second, a total of 23 and of 21 pregnancies occurred, or rates of 6 and 17 per 1,000. If these had been limited to true assaults and the women had been given hormone treatment, the pregnancy rate would have been much lower, perhaps zero. Hayman & Lanza, "Sexual Assault on Women and Girls," Amer. Jour. OB/GYN, vol. 109, No. 3, Feb. 1971, pp. 480-486 Hayman et al., "Rape in the District of Columbia," Amer. Jour. OB/GYN, vol. 113, no. 1, May 1972, pp. 91, 97
In still another series of 126 assault rape victims, only half of those at risk of pregnancy were treated, but none became pregnant. Evrard & Gold, "Epidemiology and Management of Sexual Assault Victims," OB & GYN, vol. 53, no. 3, Mar. 1979, pp. 381-387
In incest, is pregnancy common? No. "Considering the prevalence of teenage pregnancies in general, incest treatment programs marvel at the low incidence of pregnancy from incest." Several reports agree at 1% or less. G. Maloof, "The Consequences of Incest," The Psychological Aspects of Abortion, University Publications of Amer., 1979, p. 74 245
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Are assault rape pregnancies common?
No, they are very rare.
Are there accurate numbers?
The Justice Dept., from 1973 to 1987, surveyed 49,000 households annually, asking questions on violence and criminal acts. The results of those reported were:
1973 — completed rapes — 95,934
1987 — completed rapes — 82,505
The study stated that only 53% were reported to police. Accordingly, the total numbers were: 1973 — 181,016 : 1987 — 155,667 The Washington Times, Jan. 14, 1991, A-5
A more recent Justice Dept. report, using a study designed differently with more direct questions, returned a result of 170,000 completed rapes plus 140,000 attempted rapes. Nat. Crime Victim Report, US Justice Dept. Aug. 95, R. Bachman
And how many pregnancies result?
About 1 or 2 for each 1000. Using the 170,000 figure, this translates into an overall total of 170 to 340 assault rape pregnancies a year in the entire United States.
Only one or two out of 1000? Please explain.
There are about 100 million women in the United States old enough to be at risk for assault rape. Let’s use a figure of 200,000 forcible rapes every year. The studies available agree that there are no more than two pregnancies per 1,000 assault rapes.
So much for the numbers. Let’s look at it from another angle and see if that figure makes sense.
- Of these 200,000 women who were raped, one-third were either too old or too young to get pregnant. That leaves 133,000 at risk of pregnancy.
- A woman is capable of being fertilized only three days out of her 30-day month. So divide 133,000 by 10, and 13,300 women remain.
- One-fourth of all women in the United States of child-bearing age have been sterilized. That drops the figure to 10,000.
- Only half of the assailants penetrate her body and/or deposit sperm. Cut it in half again. We are own to 5,000.
- Fifteen percent of men are sterile; that drops the figure to 4,250. Fifteen percent of non-surgically sterilized women are naturally sterile. That reduces the number to 3,600.
- Another 15% are on the pill and/or are already pregnant. Now the figure is 3,070. Now factor in something that all adults know. It takes from five to ten months for an average couple to achieve a pregnancy. Using the smaller figure, to be conservative, divide the 3,000 figure by 5, and the number drops to about 600.
In a healthy, peaceful marriage, the miscarriage rate ranges up to about 15%. In this case, we have incredible emotional trauma. Her body is upset. Even if she conceives, the miscarriage rate is higher than in a more normal pregnancy. If she loses 20% of 600, there are 450 left. Finally, we must factor in one of the most important reasons why a rape victim rarely gets pregnant, and that is psychic trauma. Every woman is aware that stress and emotional factors can alter her menstrual cycle. To get pregnant and stay pregnant, a woman’s body must produce a very sophisticated mix of hormones. Hormone production is controlled by a part of the brain which is easily influenced by emotions. There’s no greater emotional trauma that can be experienced by a woman than an assault rape. This can radically upset her possibility of ovulation, fertilization, implantation and even nurturing of a pregnancy. So what further percentage reduction in pregnancy will this cause? No one really knows, but this factor certainly cuts the last figure by at least 50%, and probably more, leaving a final figure of 225 women pregnant each year, a number that closely matches the 200 found in clinical studies. |
