Anti-Abortion Groups: Child Rape Survivors Should Be Forced to Give Birth

The horrific story of the 10-year-old Ohio rape survivor who had to travel to Indiana for an abortion continues to get worse because anti-abortion activists are keep saying horrendous things about the case. Two groups called the abortion “violence,” and another said it’s working toward a world where she would have been forced to give birth.

Pregnancy and childbirth pose well-known health risks for adults, and the risks are higher for teenagers and children—the risks increase the younger the person is. The World Health Organization says that pregnant adolescents ages 10 to 19 face a higher risk of eclampsia than those ages 20 to 24. Pre-eclampsia, a sudden spike in blood pressure, can develop into eclampsia if the increase is severe enough to affect brain function, causing seizures or coma, per the National Institutes of Health. Both conditions can be life-threatening if not treated early.

It’s also very possible that a baby’s head would be wider than a 10-year-old girl’s pelvic opening, since the girl is nowhere near close to finishing puberty. A 10-year-old girl who gave birth in Colombia in 2012 needed a cesarean section for this reason, and doctors worry about children who aren’t able to get c-sections.

But apparently none of this apparently matters to anti-abortion groups. In a statement on the arrest of the rape suspect, Ohio Right to Life said, “There is no greater evil than a person who intentionally hurts a child,” before continuing to say they would want states to hurt a child:

“As a community we must do better and offer genuine support, true care, and honest solutions for those that come to us in need. Instead, we failed by offering the band-aid solution of abortion that only added to the pain and violence perpetuated against her. The victim deserved better. Tragic situations like this further highlight the depravity of our culture and stress the importance of continuing our fight for a true culture of life that respects the dignity and value of every individual person.”

Dignity for all people, except the literal children that it wants to force to stay pregnant and give birth.

When asked about the case, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, told the New York Times that “the violence of rape will not be cured by the violence of abortion. The love and support that this child needs will be ongoing, not momentary.”

James Bopp, the general counsel for the National Right to Life Coalition, told Politico last week that under NRLC’s new model legislation for states, which only has exceptions for life endangerment, the Ohio girl would have had to continue the pregnancy. And, in his view, she would eventually understand and approve of this violation.

“She would have had the baby, and as many women who have had babies as a result of rape, we would hope that she would understand the reason and ultimately the benefit of having the child,” Bopp said, adding, “We don’t think, as heartwrenching as those circumstances are, we don’t think we should devalue the life of the baby because of the sins of the father.”

The fact that anti-abortion groups routinely call embryos and fetuses “pre-born children,” but seem fine with actual children risking their lives during childbirth shows you that they don’t actually care about life—they care about controlling people.