Abortion Exceptions for Rape and Incest Hurt Women and Unborn Children

Abortion, , ,

Arkansas’ lawmakers will begin pre-filing legislation in less than two weeks, and many people are looking ahead to the 2025 session in Little Rock.

There is a good possibility that pro-abortion groups will work to weaken Arkansas’ pro-life policies — such as adding exceptions for rape or incest to the state’s pro-life laws.

Since 2019, there has been a lot of discussion about putting exceptions for rape and incest in Arkansas’ pro-life laws.

Rape and incest are evil.

A woman who is raped is a victim in every sense of the word, and only about 2%–5% of all abortions are performed because of rape of incest.

In light of that, it’s easy for some people to justify abortion in these situations.

But there are serious problems with permitting abortion in cases of rape or incest.

Below are a few points to consider.

The Unborn Baby is Totally Innocent

An unborn boy or girl has no control over how he or she was conceived.

These are living human beings.

It is not right to kill an unborn baby because the baby’s father was a rapist.

Abortion Helps Conceal Crimes Like Rape, Incest and Sex Trafficking

Sexual predators sometimes coerce their victims into having abortions to conceal rape or incest.

In 2016 abortionist Ulrich Klopfer admitted to the Indiana Medical Licensing Board that he once performed an abortion on a 10-year-old girl from Illinois who had been raped by her uncle. Dr. Klopfer did not report the crime to law enforcement.

He let the girl go home to her parents who knew about the rape and had decided not to prosecute. As far as we can tell, that girls’ uncle was never brought to justice.

In 2014 researchers Laura Lederer and Christopher Wetzel found 55% of sex-trafficking survivors surveyed reported at least one abortion, and 29.9% reported multiple abortions. Lederer and Wetzel concluded,

The prevalence of forced abortions is an especially disturbing trend in sex trafficking. . . . One victim noted that “in most of [my six abortions,] I was under serious pressure from my pimps to abort the babies.” Another survivor, whose abuse at the hands of her traffickers was particularly brutal, reported seventeen abortions and indicated that at least some of them were forced on her.

Abortion helps conceal evil crimes like these.

Rapists Have No Legal Claim to Their Victims or Their Victims’ Children

Under Arkansas law, a rapist has no legal claim to his victim or the children of his victim.

That means a woman or girl who becomes pregnant because of rape can keep the child or put the child up for adoption, but she does not have to consult the rapist or share custody with him.

Arkansas law is very clear on that point.

Additionally, state courts can take other appropriate action to protect victims of rape or incest.

Abortion Does Not Heal the Harm That Rape and Incest Cause

Abortion doesn’t heal the wounds that rape or incest leave behind.

Abortion takes the life of an unborn baby, and it carries serious risks for the woman.

Abortion is not a quick fix. Its consequences are very serious.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Experts Warn Marijuana “Comes With Big Health Risks”

Marijuana

Last week Psychology Today published an article highlighting the “big health risks” associated with marijuana use.

Among other things, the article noted:

  • Young adults and teens can develop an addiction to weed and become psychotic.
  • Many people don’t know that regular marijuana use may carry serious health risks, especially for the young.
  • No medication is FDA-approved for treating cannabis use disorder.
  • One cannabis-induced psychotic episode ups the risk of developing bipolar disorder or schizophrenia by 50%.

A growing body of research shows marijuana is dangerous.

For example, marijuana can damage adolescent brains — resulting in permanent loss in IQ, difficulty thinking and problem-solving, reduced coordination, and increased risk of psychosis.

A report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that states that legalized commercial marijuana sales saw self-harm rates rise by 46% among men ages 21 to 39.

We have also written time and again about how marijuana’s legalization in other states has actually emboldened drug cartels and organized crime.

Some of these illegal marijuana operations are tied to labor trafficking and violent crime, and some have connections to foreign interests like the Chinese Communist Party.

A CBS News segment last year highlighted how Chinese investment is driving illegal marijuana production across the U.S.

CBN reported last year that Chinese investors with “suitcases full of cash” are buying U.S. farmland to grow black market marijuana.

Other correspondents have reported how these illegal marijuana operations contribute to “modern day slavery on American soil.”

All of this simply underscores what we have said for years: Marijuana may be many things, but “harmless” simply is not one of them.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Arkansas A.G. Launches “One Pill Can Kill” Initiative to Combat Fentanyl on Campus

Drugs,

The following is a press release from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin:

October 29, 2024

Griffin: ‘The training and resources offered by the One Pill Can Kill initiative will save lives’

FAYETTEVILLE – Attorney General Tim Griffin today at the University of Arkansas issued the following statement announcing “One Pill Can Kill,” an initiative to educate college students about the dangers of fentanyl and give them tools to combat it:

“Fentanyl is a scourge on our society, and it disproportionately impacts our young people. One Pill Can Kill is a multifaceted initiative to help protect college students from the risk of opioid overdose.

“As part of the initiative, student leaders are being educated about the dangers of fentanyl, and they’re being trained to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose, how to administer naloxone to treat someone experiencing an overdose, and how to use testing strips to ensure that medications or beverages have not been laced with fentanyl.

“Using state opioid settlement funds, I am providing harm-prevention kits—which include fentanyl testing strips, a naloxone ‘vending machine,’ and funding the student training.

“This initiative will be statewide, but we are starting at the University of Arkansas campus here in Fayetteville. I am extremely grateful for the cooperation and support of Chancellor Charles Robinson and university staff. The training and resources offered by the One Pill Can Kill initiative will save lives.”

University of Arkansas Chancellor Charles F. Robinson provided this statement:

“Fentanyl overdoses are claiming the lives of far too many young Arkansans, and with the support of Attorney General Griffin, the University of Arkansas is fully committed to educating and equipping our community to confront this crisis head-on. As this initiative expands to colleges and universities throughout the state, its impact will multiply, offering life-saving knowledge and tools to thousands more young Arkansans.”

To learn more about Arkansas’s One Pill Can Kill initiative, visit www.arkansasag.gov/OnePillCanKill.

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