Suffering through any form of sexual violence is a terrible experience. But if a woman conceives a child during this horrific experience, does an abortion really help her to heal? On the first glance it seems like a fast and easy solution. Just abort the child and be done with it. Yes, an abortion can be done very quickly, but neither does it turn back time on the rape nor will the woman forget that she was pregnant afterwards. Rape is a horrific trauma, but abortion is no form of healing-treatment from it. On a strictly bodily perspective, it adds a second violent intrusion on her body. An abortion has potential physical and mental complications, which are added to the trauma of being raped. Trauma cannot be healed by trauma. Therefore, even if it seams like a solution on the first glance, an abortion after rape is not helping the woman heal.
Also, if a crime is committed, who should be punished but the culprit? An abortion punishes the victim and an innocent third party – the child, who had no influence on the circumstances of them being conceived. The child is not responsible for their father’s sins and should not have to pay with their life for them. The circumstances of how we as humans come to exist do not influence our dignity and worth as a human being.