Alabama forced-pregnancy fanatics call a raped girl of 12 a murderer for having an abortion.
Two conservative lawyers in Alabama held a press conference this week to denounce a court’s ruling allowing an abortion for a 12-year-old who was raped, AL.com reported.
The attorneys — Win Johnson and Lorie Mullins — argued that the girl was not mature enough to make such a “life or death” decision.
She wasn’t mature enough to be raped, either, nor was she mature enough to carry a pregnancy to term, let alone to take care of a baby.
Johnson, a former legal director under controversial Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, said it was ridiculous that the court would rule that the tween “was mature enough — and I’m going to put this in its starkest terms — to decide to murder her own child in her womb.”
“Now, nobody has said that to her, I bet you, in any of her counseling,” Johnson added. “Nobody has explained that to her in its starkest, rawest form, like that. But what if it was, what if she really thought through it, even as a 12-year-old and said, ‘Gosh, I don’t want that on my conscience.’”
Here’s another starkest rawest way to put it: it was also the fetus – not the “child” – of her rapist. If she let the pregnancy continue she would eventually give birth to the infant of the guy who raped her. Maybe she didn’t want that on her conscience – or inside her body. Maybe she didn’t want to combine her DNA with that of her rapist and see what intriguing mix that would turn out to be. Maybe she didn’t want to carry a baby that was forced on her. Maybe she didn’t want to let an act of violence and hatred result in a person after 9 months inside her body. Maybe she didn’t want her not yet mature body ripped up by giving birth to a rapist’s baby.
Maybe.
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19 responses to “Her own child”
Calling a 12-year-old rape victim a murderer for aborting a pregnancy conceived by rape is probably one of the more heinous things I’ve ever read about. Requiring a child who is a rape victim to seek special permission from the court in order to get an abortion is ridiculous. Expecting a 12-year-old child (who physically, intellectually and emotionally is not ready for children due to her age alone) to give birth to her rapist’s baby is so unbelievably cruel it borders on psychopathy. “Pro-life,” indeed.
It’s some world we live in where a raped 12-year-old is called a murderer for making a choice about her own future, while most rapists go scot free, and those who do get arrested and convicted are often given a slap on the wrist. Does anyone else see this as just a bit backward? (That question is rhetorical; I suspect on this site, most think this is backward)
Even if one were to grant their position that the fetus should be considered a “person” (which I do not), I’d like to ask those lawyers if they would be willing to risk their own physical health, up to and including a 1:10000 chance of death (based on current US maternal mortality rates for that age) purely for the benefit of a stranger.
Two attorneys held a press conference. Bully for them. Why did any press show up?
If I “hold a press conference” so I can say what I think about stuff, is that any more newsworthy than what these two guys did?
It’s strange — anti-choicers must think that their side has really lousy P.R., because they’re always convinced that they will persuade a woman if only they can present to her their argument that “abortion IS MURDER,” and that the fetus inside them will become a BAYBEEEEEEE!
But then, I guess that explains the vast overlap between them and the Christians who think that “have you heard the Good News?” is a winning approach. Why no, I just arrived on this planet and have never heard of this Jesus fellow of whom you speak. Please, enlighten me!
The press conference was billed as a “Roy Moore press conference”, Moore being the infamous former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and current Senate candidate. So the press was perhaps enticed on false pretenses; Moore was not in attendance.
Of course, this being Alabama, pro-forced-childbearing rallies or press conferences are more likely to get press than pro-choice ones.
Local journalist Josh Moon called the press conference the worst and most disgusting display he’s ever seen.
http://www.alreporter.com/2017/07/20/truly-disgusting-display/
That’s because they aren’t fuckheads.
The dominion of religion over humankind. This is an outcome. Well done ancient gods. Ruining lives one twelve year old female at a time.
I don’t have language bad enough to describe how I feel about this decision.
Is there anything being done to try to help the girl (the little girl…)? I don’t know what can be done but there must be some way to support her and her family while the legislators do their best to fuck up her life.
Twelve years old. She’ll probably have to have a C-section, given her age. That increases the chances of severe consequences even further than just giving birth at that age alone (and I bet the mortality rate for 12 year olds undergoing pregnancy is a damned sight higher than the overall mean of 1:10 000).
So, a dangerous pregnancy, a major surgical intervention – simple surgery always carries a risk, major surgery (defined as surgery that cuts through a major muscle layer into a body cavity) carries a higher risk – just to try a protect a proto-child formed of rape.
It’ a good job Christianity is about love and compassion, isn’t it? I mean can you imagine what they’d get up to if it weren’t?
Not that long ago, a nine year old in Brazil aborted a fetus she could not have survived carrying. She’d been raped by a stepfather. The Holy Church excommunicated the Drs, and the girl’s mother, for their grievous ‘sin.’ The rapist told Jebus he was vewy vewy sowwy, so the church had no problem with him…
SSM, the decision was to allow the girl to obtain an abortion. The Appeals Court upheld the lower court waiver. The asshole lawyers who held the press conference were complaining about the ruling.
It is bad enough that the youngster needed to get the court’s permission, but the prosecutor objected and sent the matter to the Appeals Court? Really? That can happen? That actually did happen, in a case like this that checks almost all possible boxes in the usual list of exceptions to abortion bans that are “acceptable” to zealots? And then the Roy Moore people need to hold a damn *press conference* to complain about it?
I have to think they were rallying the far right Christian demographic, Moore’s base, to get them to vote in next month’s primary. This has to be an election ploy. There is no other plausible explanation for this horror show.
But not to the really zealous zealots.
Before ‘Where did I come from?’ was read to me at age 4, I surmised that women became pregnant in a way similar to ‘catching’ a cold. Just walking down main street, one could acquire a type of germ, which didn’t work on men. And then sometime later you’d have a baby.
I moved on from this belief, but it seems to me many Republican men might still effectively believe something similar. Because otherwise, given their apparent belief in the sacredness of pre-term life, they would be advocating the explanation, in the starkest, rawest forms, of the various things men and boys can do to avoid causing someone to be pregnant against their will.
Or, you know, if a pregnant woman or her fetus should require any human biological products at all to optimise fetal health and well-being, we could have legislation allowing these to be compulsorily acquired from the most compatible live male donor aged 12 – 50, with the father being considered first. We’ve established the precedent with mothers.
And let’s also legislate regarding, and apply the full force of law to, people who smoke around pregnant women, or who abuse them, or companies that pollute the environment where pregnant women live.
And sue gun companies where their products are used in the death of any pregnant woman.
@ Sackbut #11
Ah, thank you! My reading comprehension evidently suffers if I read too fast.
Of course, this is Alabama, and such a decision would be, alas, not at all unbelievable. I am deeply, deeply glad on behalf of this poor girl that her initial injury has not being compounded by such a cruel decision.
Yeah, the True Believers [TM] do not hesitate to rule out any exceptions whatsoever (and many of the allegedly ‘moderate’ pro-lifers actually try to hedge against those exceptions whenever anyone isn’t looking).
I do two Saturdays a month at the local PP clinic as a greeter (they prefer that term to ‘escort’, since no one regards us as actual security–we’re there to make the patients more comfortable with entering, and that’s it). Naturally, we are not permitted to engage the protestors while on duty–but also naturally, we love it when counter-protestors and casual passerby do give it to them.
During one such encounter, I actually heard one of these shits declare, “No woman has ever died from pregnancy. They died from complications in their pregnancy.” To him, this was a lock-solid argument that there was no reason for a ‘danger to the mother’ provision.
Speaking of courts deciding whether raped girls can get abortions: the Indian Supreme Court has decided against allowing a ten year old rape victim to get an abortion, on the advice of medical personnel, who said an abortion in this case (she is eight months pregnant) would be less safe than childbirth. I don’t know what to think here. For various reasons I’m a little dubious about the medical advice, but I am not a medical person.
Indian supreme court rejects child rape victim’s abortion request https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/28/indian-supreme-court-rejects-child-rape-victims-abortion-request
Good news. The law has been overturned.
Outstanding! Thank you.