First, let me be clear, I know this will probably anger both sides of the abortion debate, but I am deeply troubled by the current debate taking place about abortions and the rape exception.  Let me first state my personal views. I personally believe abortion is wrong and would never have one, unless my life is in danger. I also do not believe we should legislate this choice. Abortion should be safe and legal for everybody. I do not see a contradiction here. While I believe the moral choice is to have the child (and I HAVE had to make this choice), I do not feel that making this choice should be legislated.

Feeling this, it might seem strange that the whole rape exception argument bothers me so much… but it does. It seems the most sexist choice.  If you believe that the fetus is a human being with a right to life, then why does the method of conception matter? After all, the child played no part in the rape and is not guilty of any crime. See saying there should be a rape exception shows the truth of the anti-choice movement. It is the belief that good girls don’t like sex and only have it to make babies. Therefore, a woman who gets pregnant through consensual sex MUST be forced to live with the consequences of her immorality. This is also why women should pay for their own birth control. And why the “forcible rape” thing ever surfaced, good girls can’t be drugged, etc. Only a woman who was completely innocent can terminate her pregnancy. The rest better live with their shame. Hussies!

What about men? Well this is an uncontrollable, natural urge. We mustn’t expect them to control themselves.  That is why men don’t have to live with the consequences of their actions. Men can walk away. It is up to the woman to prove he fathered the baby. And then he can only be held financially responsible. These financial requirements have very little teeth (my ex has never paid me a dime) and are considered anti-male by many men’s rights groups. Remember, for men this is a biological imperative, the decision to have sex is solely a woman’s and the consequences are hers to bear. Remember, good girls don’t like sex.

But it seems so cruel to make a woman bear her rapist’s child. Yes, it does. It reveals the cruelty in legislating abortion at all. It makes everyone uncomfortable. For good reason, abortion is a moral choice but should never be a legal one.  The fact that not having a rape exemption seems cruel shows why it needs to be safe and legal in all cases.  But an exemption only for rape furthers the belief that women need to be held to a different sexual standard. 

News flash, women enjoy sex. This does not mean they are immoral. This does not make them whores. Any more than it does for men. The rape exemption furthers sexist beliefs and is simply wrong.