Abortion Exceptions for Rape or Incest Actually Could Conceal Sex Trafficking and Other Crimes

Abortion, , ,

As pro-abortion groups prepare for a possible run at the ballot in 2024, many people once again may be wondering whether it’s appropriate to add exceptions for rape or incest to Arkansas’ 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 elected officials 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.

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.

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.

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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Hiding the Stats on MAiD: Guest Column

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, , , ,

Late last month, the Vital Statistics Council for Canada released new data about the country’s 2022 death rate, citing cancer, heart disease, and COVID-19 as the leading causes of death. Conspicuously absent was the number of Canadians killed under their country’s “Medical Assistance in Dying” program, which was 13,241 deaths last year. 

When the public noticed the omission, Canadian officials clarified: MAiD deaths are officially attributed to whatever ailment the person cited as the reason for their suicide. Given how expansive MAiD has become, that means there will be deaths attributed to autism, anxiety, and other non-fatal conditions. 

Not only will this hide the skyrocketing numbers of people in Canada dying by state-assistance, it will distort the data public health officials need to track diseases and health trends. Worst of all, it sends the message that disabilities, mental illness, and suffering in general can be as fatal as cancer if we’re not strong enough to handle them.  

That is, like this “official report,” a lie. 

Copyright 2023 by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Reprinted from BreakPoint.org with permission.

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Mayflower, Russellville Dedicate Safe Haven Baby Boxes; 23 Now in Arkansas

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The following is a press release from Arkansas Right to Life.

LITTLE ROCK – Two new Safe Haven Baby Box locations were dedicated this week in Arkansas bringing the total in the state to 23.

The new Safe Haven Baby Boxes locations are at the Mayflower Police Station and Russellville Fire Department Station No. 3.

The Mayflower Baby Box is the first Arkansas location to feature the anonymous surrender option at a police station, said Safe Haven Baby Box Founder Monica Kelsey.

“For years police departments have been a site for the Safe Haven Law’s surrender, but we are now adding the condition of anonymity,” she said. “What is so crucial is protecting these infants and their brave birth mothers, if we can ensure they do not have to choose between protecting their infant or their identity we can end infant abandonment. We know the community of Mayflower will be better off for this additional measure of protection.”

Russellville Mayor Fred Teague said, “We, as the City of Russellville are grateful to be part of the Safe Haven Baby Box Network. Although we, as Fire and Police Departments, have always been safe options for surrendering a child, the Baby Box allows a safer and more secure option for parents who find themselves making this decision. This system will ensure the highest quality of care for the infants coming into our care.”

Safe Haven Baby Boxes are installed on the exterior wall of a designated fire station, hospital or police station. Other boxes in Arkansas are located in Cabot, Jacksonville, Hot Springs, Rogers, Springdale, Mountain Home, Jonesboro, Conway, Fort Smith, Maumelle, DeQueen, Nashville, Magnolia, and El Dorado.

Arkansas Right to Life has promoted the Safe Haven Law through a billboard campaign that began in Harrison in June 2019. Since then, billboards have been placed in 32 Arkansas counties.

Rose Mimms, executive director of Arkansas Right to Life, stressed the importance of the billboard campaign and mothers knowing about the Safe Haven Law. The Safe Haven Baby Box hotline number is listed on all billboards.

“The Safe Haven Law can help a mother to safely surrender her child to an official location, hospital, law enforcement or manned fire department in Arkansas or anonymously in a Safe Haven Baby Box,” Mimms said.

The Safe Haven Law, enacted in Arkansas in 2001, is designed to protect babies from being hurt or killed by abandonment by parents who are unwilling or unable to provide parenting. Under the law, a parent may give up an infant anonymously at a hospital emergency room or law enforcement agency, but in 2019 the law was amended to include manned fire stations as a surrender location. The amended law sponsored by Arkansas Sen. Cecile Bledsoe and Rep. Rebecca Petty also approved the installation of newborn safety devices at surrender locations.

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