Calling an unwanted pregnancy resulting from rape a something “God intended to happen” is just not right. The reasons are nearly innumerable. But here are a few.
Calling an unwanted pregnancy from rape a gift implies the rape was a gift as well. You can try to say, “Well, I abhor violence. I abhor rape. My god wouldn’t want that.” But even labeling the direct consequences of the violence perpetrated against a woman as what “God intended to happen” grants a divine dispensation to the rapist. Would you also claim, “This rapist wasn’t too bad since he allowed God to bless her?” I think not (unless you are crazy). Separating the pregnancy from the rape that started it is impossible for many women. So until your god starts impregnating women against their will at random, you should probably refrain from equating unwelcome pregnancy by sexual assault with heavenly benefaction.
Calling an unwanted pregnancy from rape a “gift from God,” and using that to defend a position that bans abortion even in cases of rape and incest, turns women into slaves. Forcing rape victims to carry a rapist’s baby (and in many cases, share custody with him) is the ultimate form of reproductive coercion by the state. A lot of people have never hear the term reproductive coercion. Forcing a woman to bear children against her will facilitates her ensnarement in a subservient position to her abuser – or in this case, the rapist. It is government-sanctioned abuse. This isn’t 80s Romania – this is the Unites States of America! Allowing the state to assume authority over a citizen’s body – be that citizen male, female, pregnant or not – is contrary to The Constitution of the United States and contrary to what Americans expect of their government.
Finally, forcing women to bear children against their will because it is your “God’s will” is forcing your religious beliefs on that woman. If you don’t want to have an abortion, don’t have one. If you don’t like the morning after pill, don’t take it. If you think women should just deal with the risks and unalterable physical changes that pregnancy brings with it, then by all means, bear down.
But don’t for one second think that your religious beliefs should be the standard borne by all Americans. Don’t for a moment think that everyone is obligated to serve your god by laying down their own right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness because an reprobate didn’t understand what “NO” meant. And don’t you ever rest in your cozy little bed believing women will just “lay down and take it.”
Because you bet your ass we won’t.
Nuclear Grrl - Atomic Feminist 