Sexual Assault Pregnancy and Abortion - Revision history

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2015-06-09T00:06:11Z

Commentary

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	But I do believe they clearly represent a very real truth for a very substantial number of women who have been marginalized and misunderstood by a society which mostly prefers the comforting presumption that abortion helps these women to the discomforting truth that abortion may, at least in many cases, be simply piling trauma on top of trauma.		But I do believe they clearly represent a very real truth for a very substantial number of women who have been marginalized and misunderstood by a society which mostly prefers the comforting presumption that abortion helps these women to the discomforting truth that abortion may, at least in many cases, be simply piling trauma on top of trauma.

			==Additional Reports==
			[http://www.lifenews.com/2015/06/08/she-bravely-rejected-abortion-after-a-brutal-rape-says-abortion-just-traumatizes-women-further/ "She Had an Abortion After a Brutal Rape and Now Says “The Abortion Just Traumatized Me Further”]

Barb: /* Rape */

2015-05-27T17:29:28Z

Rape

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	''[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8765248"Rape-related pregnancy estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women,"] MM Holmes et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol 175(2): 320-324, 1996 ''		''[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8765248"Rape-related pregnancy estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women,"] MM Holmes et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol 175(2): 320-324, 1996 ''
	:A national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (12-45); 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ;32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.		:A national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (12-45); 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ;32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.

			:Another way of summarizing these findings is that of those women reporting a rape pregnancy, 12% had a spontaneous abortion, 38% gave birth (84% choosing to keep the baby and 16% choosing adoption). While, 50% had an abortions, the study had no information on how many felt pressured to do so. For more insight into what the half who have abortions experience, one needs to look at interviews with such women, such as those found in Victims and Victors.

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2015-02-06T19:05:36Z

Rape

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	''[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8765248"Rape-related pregnancy estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women,"] MM Holmes et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol 175(2): 320-324, 1996 ''		''[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8765248"Rape-related pregnancy estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women,"] MM Holmes et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol 175(2): 320-324, 1996 ''
	:A national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (12-45); 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ;32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.		:A national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (12-45); 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ;32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.


	'''[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24875400 Voluntary and involuntary childlessness in female veterans: associations with sexual assault.]''' Ryan GL, Mengeling MA, Booth BM, Torner JC, Syrop CH, Sadler AG. Fertil Steril. 2014 Aug;102(2):539-47. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.04.042. Epub 2014 May 27.		'''[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24875400 Voluntary and involuntary childlessness in female veterans: associations with sexual assault.]''' Ryan GL, Mengeling MA, Booth BM, Torner JC, Syrop CH, Sadler AG. Fertil Steril. 2014 Aug;102(2):539-47. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.04.042. Epub 2014 May 27.

	:In a sample of 1,004 female veterans enrolled at VA medical centers, 620 had a history of at least one attempted or completed sexual assault. "Twenty-two servicewomen reported becoming pregnant as a direct result of a completed assault, and 10 of these		:In a sample of 1,004 female veterans enrolled at VA medical centers, 620 had a history of at least one attempted or completed sexual assault. "Twenty-two servicewomen reported becoming pregnant as a direct result of a completed assault, and 10 of these women '''(45%) chose an early termination''' of that pregnancy."
	women '''(45%) chose an early termination''' of that pregnancy."

	''"Issues in statutory rape law enforcement: the views of district attorneys in Kansas," HL Miller et al, Family Planning Perspectives 30(4): 177-181.''		''"Issues in statutory rape law enforcement: the views of district attorneys in Kansas," HL Miller et al, Family Planning Perspectives 30(4): 177-181.''

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2015-02-06T19:05:01Z

Rape

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	:A national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (12-45); 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ;32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.		:A national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (12-45); 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ;32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.

			'''[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24875400 Voluntary and involuntary childlessness in female veterans: associations with sexual assault.]''' Ryan GL, Mengeling MA, Booth BM, Torner JC, Syrop CH, Sadler AG. Fertil Steril. 2014 Aug;102(2):539-47. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.04.042. Epub 2014 May 27.

			:In a sample of 1,004 female veterans enrolled at VA medical centers, 620 had a history of at least one attempted or completed sexual assault. "Twenty-two servicewomen reported becoming pregnant as a direct result of a completed assault, and 10 of these
			women '''(45%) chose an early termination''' of that pregnancy."

	''"Issues in statutory rape law enforcement: the views of district attorneys in Kansas," HL Miller et al, Family Planning Perspectives 30(4): 177-181.''		''"Issues in statutory rape law enforcement: the views of district attorneys in Kansas," HL Miller et al, Family Planning Perspectives 30(4): 177-181.''

Barb: /* Rape */

2014-10-07T16:14:09Z

Rape

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	:Suggestions for preparing a child to eventually learn the truth about a rapist father. Example: "Mothers often use what psychologists call a “soft truth,” saying that the father wanted to be with her more than she wanted to be with the father. When the child gets slightly older, some mothers decide to explain in vague terms that the father committed some act of violence against her. These disclosures begin to prepare the child to hear the truth, once he’s old enough to understand it."		:Suggestions for preparing a child to eventually learn the truth about a rapist father. Example: "Mothers often use what psychologists call a “soft truth,” saying that the father wanted to be with her more than she wanted to be with the father. When the child gets slightly older, some mothers decide to explain in vague terms that the father committed some act of violence against her. These disclosures begin to prepare the child to hear the truth, once he’s old enough to understand it."

			[http://www.lifenews.com/2014/10/06/when-i-was-pregnant-after-rape-i-wanted-to-kill-the-rapist-not-my-baby/ "When I Was Pregnant After Rape, I Wanted to Kill the Rapist, Not My Baby"] Maria Krasinski
			:The author describes herself as a pro-life, Democrat, lesbian who was the victim of rape who chose to carry her daughter to term and place her for adoption."

	==Incest==		==Incest==

Barb: /* Incest */

2012-10-04T14:57:32Z

Incest

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	''"Father-Daughter Incest-Treatment of the Family," M. Kennedy, and B.M. Cormier, Laval Medical 40(2): 946-950(1969). ''		''"Father-Daughter Incest-Treatment of the Family," M. Kennedy, and B.M. Cormier, Laval Medical 40(2): 946-950(1969). ''
	:Incest is basically a family pathology and by treating it as such there is evidence that there may be gain for all concerned when the family cooperates in treatment.		:Incest is basically a family pathology and by treating it as such there is evidence that there may be gain for all concerned when the family cooperates in treatment.


			==Commentary==

			Following a [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/07/18/abortion-anti-choice-christian-group-lovewise-british-schoolchildren-abortion-leads-to-holes-in-the-womb_n_1682856.html controversy in the UK], we received a request for information on why the results of the 'Victims and Victors' data should be considered rather than dismissed.

			1. There are no studies showing abortion benefits women pregnant by sexual assault. None, for example, showing that women who abort more quickly heal from the emotional scars of sexual assault, have less depression, sleep better, or are more likely to excel in their careers or family life. The presumption of benefit is simply that . . . a presumption. And those who challenge that our findings cannot be generalized because of this or that weakness in methodology are faced with the problem that there has been no methodology, even a weak one, applied to their unsubstantiated conclusion that abortion is necessary and beneficial.

			2. I know of only three studies of a substantive number of pregnant sexual assault victims. All are limited by the fact that many women will not report a history of abortion or sexual assault, so are limited to populations of women willing to talk about their experience, at least to some degree. So in that respect, one can always argue that they don't represent the "real" population of women. On the other hand, as noted in point 1 above, there is absolutely no evidence that they are not representative of the whole. The only argument against generalizing from what these women have reported is presumption against accepting what they say because it conflicts with one's own prior presumptions.

			3. The closest thing to a random study that has been conducted is "Rape-related pregnancy estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women," MM Holmes et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol 175(2): 320-324, 1996.

			This national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (12-45); 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ;32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.

			It does not report how women coped with having the abortion or raising the child or with the adoption or miscarriage. But the fact that 38.1% carried to term and only 50% had an abortion certainly underscores that abortion is not embraced as a universal solution by women who are pregnant by rape.

			4. The studies by Sandra Mahkorn, described in Victims and Victors, are based on her own exposure to sexual assault pregnancy cases as a sexual assault counselor. Presumably, she included all cases of which she was familiar (about 70, if I recall correctly). While the number is small and localized, there is no reason to believe it is not representative of women.

			5. Our own data, published in Victims and Victors, was gathered by two different groups, as described in Chapter Two, and is a qualitative analysis of a combination of written testimonies and completed questionnaires. Most of the material gathered by Fortress International was from women or the children of women who carried their pregnancies to term. Most of the material gathered by the Elliot Institute was from women who had abortions, a subset of whom reported they had become pregnant as a result of rape or incest. The value of both sets of data was that it was generally more detailed in regard to reports of emotional state and reflections on their adjustment to their experiences. This information is not found in the Holmes study, though it is reflected in the Mahkorn study.

			6. In conclusion, while it is certainly fair for critics to question whether our findings are accurate in regard to the majority of sexual assault victims in any subcategory (meaning for those who abort, or carry to term, or place for adoption, or miscarry), there is little reason to question that the findings are substantively true for large proportion of women in these subcategories. This isn't an election, after all, where a 51% majority determines whether abortion is good or bad for sexual assault victims. The evidence that is available, and which we have documented, is that for many women abortion is traumatic. For many, it is unwanted. For many, they feel pressured into the abortion by the social expectation that a "real rape victim" would certainly want to have an abortion.

			The second fact, as described in point 1, is that there is no substantive evidence that women who abort sexual assault pregnancies fare better than those who do not. There is not, at least to my knowledge, even a substantive number of women who have stepped forward to assert that they are glad they had an abortion following a rape or incest pregnancy twenty or thirty years ago, much less have offered any substantive insights into why they are glad they did.

			Yet critics seem to be asking us to accept the presumption that abortion is beneficial in these cases absent any evidence from those who have been there that it was really experienced as beneficial for a substantive number of women, much less the majority. Yet, the same critics are rushing to dismiss the evidence and testimony of women which calls their presumptions into question.

			I certainly don't believe or suggest that the findings we report from our limited sample of women who are self-selected, especially since many women simply don;t want to talk about their experiences in this area, represent the "whole truth" or final word on the topic.

			But I do believe they clearly represent a very real truth for a very substantial number of women who have been marginalized and misunderstood by a society which mostly prefers the comforting presumption that abortion helps these women to the discomforting truth that abortion may, at least in many cases, be simply piling trauma on top of trauma.

Barb: /* Rape */

2012-08-27T20:14:49Z

Rape

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	''"The Rape Victim: Psychodynamic Considerations," . Notman and Nadelson, Am. J. Psychiatry 133(4):408-412 (1976). ''		''"The Rape Victim: Psychodynamic Considerations," . Notman and Nadelson, Am. J. Psychiatry 133(4):408-412 (1976). ''
	:Good overview of the impact of rape on a woman.		:Good overview of the impact of rape on a woman.

			[http://mobile.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/08/rape_and_pregnancy_is_it_best_to_tell_a_child_he_was_conceived_in_a_rape_.html ''Should a Mother Tell Her Child He Was Conceived in a Rape? What psychologists recommend.''] By Brian Palmer

			:Suggestions for preparing a child to eventually learn the truth about a rapist father. Example: "Mothers often use what psychologists call a “soft truth,” saying that the father wanted to be with her more than she wanted to be with the father. When the child gets slightly older, some mothers decide to explain in vague terms that the father committed some act of violence against her. These disclosures begin to prepare the child to hear the truth, once he’s old enough to understand it."

	==Incest==		==Incest==

Barb: /* Rape */

2012-08-27T20:04:14Z

Rape

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	''"Rape-related pregnancy estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women," MM Holmes et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol 175(2): 320-324, 1996 ''		''[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8765248"Rape-related pregnancy estimates and descriptive characteristics from a national sample of women,"] MM Holmes et al, Am J Obstet Gynecol 175(2): 320-324, 1996 ''
	:A national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% among victims of reproductive age (12-45) ; 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ; 32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.		:A national probability sample of U.S. women found that rape-related pregnancy was 5% per rape among victims of reproductive age (12-45); 32.4% did not discover they were pregnant until the second trimester ;32.2% opted to keep the infant, 50% had an abortion, 5.9% placed the infant for adoption, and 11.8% had a spontaneous abortion.


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	''"The Rape Victim: Psychodynamic Considerations," . Notman and Nadelson, Am. J. Psychiatry 133(4):408-412 (1976). ''		''"The Rape Victim: Psychodynamic Considerations," . Notman and Nadelson, Am. J. Psychiatry 133(4):408-412 (1976). ''
	:Good overview of the impact of rape on a woman.		:Good overview of the impact of rape on a woman.


	==Incest==		==Incest==

WikiSysop: Protected "Sexual Assault Pregnancy and Abortion" [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

2008-06-29T21:32:12Z

Protected "Sexual Assault Pregnancy and Abortion" [edit=sysop:move=sysop]

← Older revision	Revision as of 16:32, 29 June 2008
(No difference)

WikiSysop at 21:30, 29 June 2008

2008-06-29T21:30:19Z

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			{{DEA}}
			{{PsychIndex}}

			[[Submit_SexAssault \|Please Submit New Material for This Protected Page Here]]

			'''Contents'''
			[[Rape]]
			[[Incest]]


	==Rape==		==Rape==