Women Who Have Experienced Pregnancy From Sexual Assault Plead for Public Hearings
Abortion Only Compounds the Trauma, Women Say
A group of women who have experienced pregnancies resulting from rape or incest are petitioning Congress and state legislatures to hear their stories, saying women who become pregnant from sexual assault don’t want or need abortions.
The petition from the Ad Hoc Committee of Women Pregnant by Sexual Assault (WPSA) asks federal and state legislators to “hold public hearings at which we and other women who have become pregnant through sexual assault will be invited to discuss our unique needs and concerns.”
WPSA was formed after the publication of Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault, a book of personal testimonies collected from women who have experienced a pregnancy resulting from sexual assault. The group says that pregnant sexual assault victims have been either ignored or misrepresented by politicians and the media because of the polarizing effects of the abortion debate.
“In most cases, it is only in the context of highly divisive debates over abortion that we are discussed,” the petition reads. “In virtually every case, the people who claim to be defending our interests have never taken the time to actually listen to us to learn about our true circumstances, needs, and concerns.” Kathleen DeZeeuw, who became pregnant after being raped as a teen and gave birth to a son, Patrick, wrote in Victims and Victors that she feels “personally assaulted and insulted every time I hear that abortion should be legal because of rape and incest. I feel that we’re being used to further the abortion issue, even though we’ve not been asked to tell our side of the story.”
WPSA members say that because women who have actually been pregnant following sexual assault have never been given a forum to describe their real experiences, public policies — including public funding for abortions for women who become pregnant through rape or incest — fail to offer pregnant sexual assault victims the care and support they need. Instead, the women say, public funding for abortions following rape or incest may give women, their family members, and health care providers the false impression that abortion is proven to be helpful in these circumstances.
Scientific research on the matter is scarce. There are no published studies that have demonstrated any therapeutic benefits of abortion, either in general or in the specific case of pregnancies resulting from sexual assault. On the other hand, data collected from Victims and Victors shows that many women find abortion to be harmful — even in the “hard cases” of sexual assault pregnancy.
Nearly 200 women submitted letters or testimonies for Victims and Victors, making it the largest sample of information ever collected from women who have experienced a sexual assault pregnancy.
Of the women who responded to the survey, 88 percent of those who had abortions said they regretted their abortions and that abortion only compounded the trauma of the sexual assault. Only one woman reported no regrets about her abortion, while the remaining women either made no statements regarding their abortions or were uncertain whether their lives were better or worse after abortion. By contrast, none of those who carried to term said they subsequently regretted having given birth.
WPSA member Arlene Anzalone had an abortion after being raped at the age of 26. She says that “slowly but surely,” more women are being open about their abortions and the pain they experienced as a result.
“I believe that as each of us who are willing to speak out comes forward to talk about this issue, there will be more to come,” Anzalone said.
Heather Gemmen, a WPSA member whose eight-year-old daughter was conceived in a rape, says that talking about her experience has helped her find healing.
“It’s because I came out that I have restoration,” Gemmen said. “When you’re raped, you suddenly become part of a secret club you didn’t know existed. And I don’t want this club to be secret anymore. I want to help other people voice their pain.”
Originally published in The Post-Abortion Review 12(2), July-Sept. 2004. Copyright 2004 Elliot Institute.
