Acceptance of Rape Exceptions

children of rape conception290X149What happens when abortion in the case of rape is accepted by “pro-life” and even religious leaders? It becomes acceptable to those who follow them. Some of you may have heard something similar to these ideas:

“That baby came from demon seed, God did not create that.”

“We must be sympathetic to the mother, she did not choose this.”

“We must make allowances in instances such as this, or we will lose this war.”

“We cannot expect a 13 year old child to carry and raise a child after she has been raped.”

My name is Anna, and I have a daughter who was conceived when I was molested and raped by my step-father. I had her when I was 13. After hearing acceptance of rape exceptions and words like these the mother in me wants to scream out, “How dare you! How dare you say such awful things about my daughter! She is beautiful, intelligent, and more caring that most of you!” Instead, I will say this: ideas such as those listed above made my life and the lives of others like me unbearably difficult. Even if it is not outright stated as such it gives the impression that those of us who are raped should abort (viciously dismember and kill) our children. This is damaging to rape survivors and lethal for our children.

The very first thing that should be considered is what God says about abortion in the cases of rape. What’s that you say? It isn’t specifically mentioned in the Bible? Well, that would lead me to assume that God cannot see how the manner of conception affects the worth of His children. If God Himself does not make exceptions or allowances for murdering the most innocent among us, how can we even begin to think that this is alright?

For God’s view on abortion in general, please see the following verses:

Genesis 9:5-6 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.

Exodus 20:13 13 “You shall not murder.

Exodus 21:22-25 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows.
22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely[a] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

          Deuteronomy 5:17 22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

Psalms 106:37-38 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods.
38 They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
and the land was desecrated by their blood.

Psalm139:13-16 13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Proverbs 17:1515 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
the Lord detests them both.

Jeremiah 22:3This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.

James 5:6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Now, when it is taught that it is acceptable for a girl (or woman) to abort in the case of rape, people will have a difficult time understanding if she chooses not to do so. In some instances they will not even believe that she is telling the truth about her rape when she claims to want her baby. After all, if even the most prestigious of pro-lifers and religious leaders say that abortion is okay in this instance, why would she not want to utilize this? If you don’t believe me, ask yourself when was the last time you heard of one of your local church bodies assisting a girl in this type of circumstance? I have experienced this firsthand when I was pregnant with my daughter, and I have heard countless stories from others saying the same. This happened when we were turned away by the church; by the very people that God commanded to care for the orphans and the widows.

I appreciate the fact that you are trying to be sympathetic towards the rape victim, but your sympathies are misplaced.

What many of you don’t realize is that a rape victim needs her child, even if she cannot raise him/her herself. She needs to be able to see that precious little face and know that she is not broken. Not only did she survive, but someone beautiful was created out of one of the most horrific crimes on this earth. If she cannot see this then the only memories she will hold are those of the abuse. There will only be nightmares until the day comes that she might be able to surrender the hurt to Jesus.

Her child will give her a purpose and a hope when nothing and no one else can reach her. Don’t take that away from her. That child belongs to her. That child, while created from an evil crime, was still created by God and in His image. That child is my daughter. That child is my friend. That child is my son’s sister. Pictured above this article are other children who have been conceived in rape. Can you look at them and tell me that their lives are worth less than the life of one child conceived in love? Please, stop the prejudice towards my daughter and others like her. They are not “products of rape”, they are children.

Stop saying that girls like me need to abandon our children. Don’t tell us that we are not strong enough to love an innocent child. Don’t abandon us when we need the body of Christ the most. Remember, Jesus loves the little children; all the little children of the world. Those conceived from rape are not an exception.

Anna Richey, a servant of Christ, is a speaker, singer, and mother fighting for the rights of other rape conceived children, as well as her own child conceived in rape when she was 13. As a Board member for Choices4Life, God has used her voice to prove the strength He gives mothers even in their teen years. She is also the Director of the Abolitionist Society of Kalispell, MT, sharing the Gospel, and compelling people everywhere to have no exceptions for abortion because all are made in the image of God. Anna’s Blog

8 thoughts on “Acceptance of Rape Exceptions”

  1. Well written indeed. There isn’t a scripture listed that say a unborn child is a life before birth? An f someone kills a preg woman’s child its a fine. Not a just punishment for murder? In fact the bible mentions nothing of abortion does it? It mentions nothing in fact about it being a woman’s choice to have kids. Its her husbands isn’t it? because she is his property? Ther was that one guy who refused to have childern with his dead brothers woman. So he cast his seed on the ground. But again its the mans choice. I have children I love dearly . An I to was concieved by a brutal rape of a teenage mother. I see the bible as teaching us not to judge others & Feed the poor. Not the witchhunt you guys have made this

    1. Thank you Chris for sharing your thoughts. While I am sorry that your teenage mom endured such a horrible trauma I applaud her for giving you life and thus giving you the opportunity to have children. I’m not quite sure what you mean by “the witchhunt you guys have made this” There is no witch hunt in our outreach. In fact we stand with women to give birth to their children when society has death wishes for her child after rape.

      While you are correct for the most part about scripture and the unborn child. God does state that he hates the shedding of innocent blood and how much more innocent can you get than an unborn child. Since God is the originator of life, period, it would make sense that the destruction of a life made in His image would also be an offense to Him. The bible does not teach us to “not judge” but instead not to judge according to our own mindset. One needs His judgments to discern what is right and wrong. Simply to “judge” on your own that “judging” is wrong without a biblical basis is in itself judging in a way that is forbidden. We are told to judge in scripture even rebuked for not judging. But how we judge is talked about. If we can’t judge then how will we even live day to day. Everyone “judges” what they think is right. To even say “judging” is wrong is to have “judged.”

      I’d love to talk with you more about this and invite you to join our group of others conceived in rape.

      Luke 23:28 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30Then “ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’

      He is saying it is a crying matter that people will say “blessed are the childless women” We are in that age today. I hope I have not misunderstood your comment. If so please help me to understand correctly.

  2. Melodie VanderWal

    A very well written article. Anna makes a very good point about the state of today’s church. Too many church goers today want the quick fix. Let’s take care of this the best way we can expending the least amount of our own time, energy, and resources. In doing so, we rob ourselves of the growth-on many levels-that was meant to take place in our own lives. This is not just regarding the abortion issue, it’s about the way we no longer ‘counsel’ [translate: love] those in need, within our congregation. We send them away to ‘trained professionals’ when they need mental, emotional, physical & financial assistance. God equips the called. When you see the need, you’ve heard the call.

    1. Melodie VanderWal

      One further comment to add…It is not only church goers; it is often today’s church leaders who are sending those in need away, rather than calling the body to rise up and meet the needs of their flock. There are SO MANY resources left untapped within the body of Christ, simply because the world in which we live thinks one is only credible when they have the degrees to prove they are trained. That is a lie straight from the pit of Hell. Love does not require a PhD, to reach out and help. God equips the called. When you see the need, you’ve heard the call.

      1. The article was written after hearing a number of church “leaders” say it is acceptable or preferred to abort after rape. Thank you for knowing truth!

  3. i note Anna Richey is a member of the abolitionists, but none of her bible passages mention or refer to abolishing abortion, Just murder. That is my position.

    1. The point of the bible verses is that murder and abortion are one in the same. Taking a lufe intentionally, how is that not murder? It’s not an accident or a miscarriage they are referring to Carl. They are referring to a woman going to a clinic to physical have a living being removed from their body where it can not live. That is murder.

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