My first response to the news that a judge in Brazil cited gender equality as a reason for decriminalizing abortion in that country is “Gender equality?!? A woman alone can make the decision… How is that equal? What about the fathers? She cannot get pregnant without him. The baby is his too! What about the gender equality for the baby?”
“Women bear alone the burden of pregnancy. Therefore, there will only exist gender equality if women have the right to decide whether to continue a pregnancy or not,” said Judge Luis Roberto Barroso. His premise is that the current Criminal Code that outlaws abortion disrespects women’s basic rights.
What about the father’s rights? What about the baby’s rights? The decision to kill a child isn’t a right, in the first place. In no other circumstance do we allow the brutal murder of a human being based on the gender of the person deciding to hire a killer.
Would this judge contend that it is her right to kill a toddler? After all, it is her toddler, right? What if she alone is responsible for an adult, an elderly parent or disabled sibling, should she have the right to kill another because she is a woman who alone bears the burden of care?
Of course, that is ludicrous.
There is no such thing as gender equality when it comes to pregnancy. Women carry babies, men do not. It may seem unfair, especially in a case of rape, but her wholly unique ability to carry the child and protect the second victim of rape is temporary. Pregnancy is always temporary. Abortion is forever.
In Brazil, abortion has been a crime. Both women and those who commit abortions faced jail time. The exception for legal abortions; if a Brazilian woman had been the victim of rape. This defies logic. There is either a baby worth protecting or there isn’t.
It has been criminal to kill preborn babies unless the father is a criminal? So, if she delivers her baby, then decided that she didn’t want the burden, would that also be acceptable, because the baby’s father is a rapist?
Abortion after rape has significant consequences for women. She has been through the trauma of rape. Abortion, the intentional killing of her baby, is an additional trauma imposed on her in a state of dramatic turmoil. She needs support and therapy to heal after rape, and more so to help her get through the pregnancy.
Abortion proponents use confused compassion to push abortion on an unsuspecting public. By placing the woman’s trauma over the child’s right to life, they perpetuate this proverbial camel’s nose in the tent.
They introduce an exception to the law against abortion, for rape, convincing the public that it is the compassionate thing to do for women who have been victims. The important facts that the child is developmentally no different than one conceived in a loving relationship and that the child is a second innocent victim of the crime are overlooked by most because most of us don’t think it through and we believe that the people writing the laws have our best interest in mind. That is simply not always the case.
Lobbyists for the abortion industry are often very well paid. Abortion is a huge money-maker. A real doctor will see a client throughout her pregnancy, deliver babies at all hours, and make a reasonable amount of money. An abortionist works regular business hours only and makes more money in a few minutes time with a similarly pregnant woman, again and again.
Might doesn’t make right. Brazil has been receiving a lot of push-back from feminist organizations that want to open the floodgates of legalized abortion. They believe that the sheer number of people who want abortion on demand for any reason should prevail. Exceptions for rape open the door for the blood to flow.
The bottom line here is that abortion kills a baby. It should be illegal to kill a baby. People who push for abortion will use any excuse to kill a baby. It’s not about compassion for rape victims. It’s not about gender equality. It’s not about women’s rights.
Darlene Pawlik is VP of Savethe1. She was conceived by rape, sexually abused as a child, sold into juvenile sex trafficking and got pregnant as a result. She is a speaker and blogger for Savethe1.com and theDarlingPrincess.com
