Our culture’s propensity to emote, rather than engage issues rationally, has been a frequent topic of discussion on this forum. And there is yet another example of this in the media frenzy surrounding Representative Todd Akin’s recent comments regarding abortion and rape. Rightly, many pro-life groups jumped into the fray to defend the intention and the veracity of Akin’s remarks.
Only, this time, it seems the opposite problem is surfacing. One side has failed to even consider the humanity of the child, or give Akin’s words a chance before pouncing on him. Some on the other side have faithfully defended the truth, but sometimes appearing insensitive at best and actually destroying all possibility of dialogue at worst.
Pro-lifers should consider what is their true motivation when engaging in these “hot button issues.” Is it to “win,” or is it to reach hearts so as to encourage a true conversion? Hearts are not reached merely with a cascade of facts, or even necessarily with a display of impeccable logic, but with understanding. There is no substitute for determined, patient, rational argument, particularly when it has to do with changing laws and social institutions. But in order for such exchanges to truly be discourse, one must recognize where his interlocutors are coming from, and pinpoint what they are really trying to express.
Why do they react and think as they do? What are their deeper reasons? The answer to this question will hold the pathway to truly touching their hearts.
Rape and abortion are not at their root partisan issues. They are human issues. They are personal issues. For those who suffer from their after effects, they have deep and lasting personal consequences. Pro-lifers have an obligation to recognize the real suffering caused by the evils of rape and abortion, and to have due sensitivity and care when dealing with these topics in public discourse.
Pro-lifers care about all lives, not only pre-born lives. When they clearly communicate this commitment through their sensitivity to the emotions causing the firestorm, their rational defense of pre-born life has a greater chance of being received.
It needs to be emphasized unequivocally that rape is an evil, and cannot be belittled. It must equally be acknowledged that, should a pregnancy result from such a violation of one’s dignity, the fright and desperation experienced by the woman are real, and may be factors that will lead her to consider an abortion.
But abortion is not the answer. Those who suggest abortion as the magic solution to both the rape and the pregnancy have misguided compassion and are lying. For those who have suffered rape, Akin’s comment reopened very real and vivid wounds. To such women, we might say:
What you suffered was tragic, awful, a violation of your personal dignity. Yet, should you have an abortion, the very violation you suffered will be inflicted on your child—you will only perpetuate the cycle of violence, rather than stopping it with the choice to love. The new little life within you is innocent, wholly unconnected to the sin of his or her father. And, moreover, aborting your child will not erase the rape nor heal the devastating wound it caused in you. An abortion will only harm you further, for, having been sinned against by the man who raped you, in the abortion, you will sin against your innocent child.
No, abortion is never the answer. Death is never the answer. There are other options, even for the darkest of circumstances. If you are considering an abortion, not as a “free” choice, but because it appears to be the only choice, the good news is that it is not the only choice. There are many out there who care deeply about women in your situation and who are willing to do anything to help. Birthright is one such place. There are others.
The misguided compassion of the media will not solve the wounds that are causing the frenzy in the first place. Yet neither will cold reason that fails to recognize that there is more to the issue than what meets the eye. Charity and truth must go hand-in-hand when responding to the issues of our day. Otherwise, there will be no true discourse, and those who would exploit such issues for personal gain are the only ones who “win.”
Melanie Baker holds an MA in Theology from the Dominican House of Studies and a BA in Philosophy from the Catholic University of America.
