An Honest Question

by capper

There has been a growing hubbub about the Plan B bill that the state legislature wants to pass. The bill would basically require hospitals to inform victims of rape about RU486, which would prevent a pregnancy. It does not require the rape victim to take the medicine, nor would it allow the hospital to withhold the information about it.

To get a flavor of the controversy, you can see the right's point of view as offered by Patrick McIlheran or Dad29. For the left side, I would offer Pundit Nation and Kay as examples.

But I have a hypothetical, but honest, question for those on the conservative side of this issue. First, let's take some conditions as a given. We will have to suspend our personal beliefs on whether RU486 is an abortion pill or not, when life begins, etc. For now, let us pretend, for the sake of the discussion, that the conservatives have their way, and a woman who is raped, and impregnated during that rape, is forced to carry the baby to term.

She has this offspring of the rape and/or incest. Will the right expect her to raise it and love it, even though it is a constant reminder of her victimization, for the next eighteen years? If they do expect this poor woman to raise the child, are they going to support her and the child for all those years. After all, she did not get pregnant willingly or by accident. She was raped, it was forced upon her. Would they be willing to pay the huge jump in taxes to have their wishes fulfilled?

What if she is forced to raise this baby, but holds anger and resentment towards it, for what it symbolizes to her. Would they condemn her for mistreating the baby. Will they demand she treat it appropriately, and not abuse it in face of jail time. In other words, would they want the woman to carry the fetus to term and raise it, but if she takes her anger, her frustration or has some episode of PTSD, and harms the child, they would then put her in jail, because she was raped. Isn't that like triple or quadruple victimization of the woman?

Now, let's pretend the woman was married. Will they force her husband to love and raise and support the child, who is the constant reminder that his wife was raped and impregnated by another man. Before answering, please take a long minute to try to place yourself in his shoes. Imagine the feelings of helplessness, frustration, self-blame for not protecting her, blame on your wife for "letting herself get raped". These are all feelings that husbands of rape victims have expressed in real life cases. Also ask, will they be willing to pay the higher taxes to support this child that is not his. What if he can't cope and wants to divorce his wife. Isn't that against the teachings of the Church as well?

And for a third scenario, what if the woman was forced to carry the baby, but wasn't forced to raise it. What would happen to that child then? Foster homes? Orphanages? Left out for the wolves to eat? Forced to make it learn to survive on its own? Or would they be willing to pay for the foster homes and orphanages? And if the answer is "By God, of course, we would pay for these babies to be taken care of and raised properly!", then my question is, why aren't you willing to pay for the unwanted, neglected and/or abused children we have in society now?

Now, as a disclaimer, mrs. capper and I are leaving for a little New Year's jaunt to our home away from home, in dem nord woods dere, hey. I won't be able to respond to any of your comments for several days, but I would genuinely like to know people's opinion on these questions.

And have a safe and happy new year.