Would you want emergency contraception if you or yours were raped?

[Fergal]

I admire your honesty but could never condone punishing the child conceived with capital punishment for the sins of the father.

God Bless You always.

 

[JCPhoenix]

Fergal,

I appreciate your comments, but by the way you presented them I take it you may have misunderstood my current lifestyle…extremely reformed, 100% Catholic, celibate, chaste…and I plan to remain so with the grace of God.

I have one irrational psychological fear regarding rape. I would rather die than be raped. Period. I’m a hypocrite because of the option I chose in the poll, and I don’t offer my fear as an excuse. I pray that if I ever suffer that fate, that there be intervention to prevent me from partaking of emergency contraception.

If I have not ovulated at that time, then there would be no sin–if that can be detected.

I pray for the fortitude and the graces to trust in God entirely, but you’ll have to forgive me, dear Fergal, for being human and not being able to completely shed off my sinful nature.

I’ll keep trying, but I guess I will just leave this one issue to Jesus to resolve for me.

I guess I’d rather be honest about my feelings here, no matter how they go against the holy grain, rather than lie to everyone here and pretend to possess the holiness I have not yet attained.

White Dove…I completely understand your feelings as well. Although for both of us, although our reasoning may be contrary to our faith, we at least have been honest with ourselves…and I guess that just means we have to throw ourselves upon God’s mercy to prevent any such need to make that terrible decision!

 

[Britta]

mkw:

I have a 23 year old daughter.

When I was 18, I was date raped. Yes, I thought about aborting her, I was just starting college, was single and still lived at home.

I won’t go into the emotional pain involved in the attact, even after all this time, still painful to remember. I was to scared to tell anyone, (I can understand all the excuses used for abortion-such as fear), when I finally did tell, had no choice due to the fact I was showing by this time. I could obtain a 2nd trimester abortion at a very expensive price ($), but by that time, I FELT THE BABY MOVE. From that moment on, no thoughts of abortion ever again.

I believed all the lies about it not being a baby till AFTER it could breathe on its own outside the womb. The just fetal tissue argument. But when I felt my daughter move, I KNEW THIS CHILD WAS ALIVE. abortion-murder!!!

And to think, I was an Atheist at the time

Praise be to God that I made the choice to give birth and not abort, and Praise God that He finally got through my thick skull and I came home to His church.

This is a beautiful testimony of what God can do when we honor Him in our choices no matter what. I know someone (19 years old) in a similar situation. She is keeping the baby. Not only has it brought her back to a better place - she was beginning to stray a bit - but the situation has also brought her back to Jesus and I know, eventually back to His Church.

There are so many tough situations and issues we are faced with. But that is due to our sinful nature, “for there is no man who does not sin.” (2 Chron 5:36) However, when truly take up our cross and follow Him, He honors it, EVERYTIME!!!

God Bless

 

[achief1652]

that is a trying question. My wife and I tried for 5 years to have a baby. We went to the “best” doctors in our area. My daughter was born 11 months after I joined my wife in the Catholic church. At the time of conception we were not using any meds. She was the first of 3 miracles; the forth is due in march. During the 5years of trying for children stories of people killing thier babies were in the news all the time. My wife and I would cry wanting to be blessed with those babies. That is the reason niether my wife or I could kill any baby even that of a rapist. It is not the child’s sin. The rapist is at falt. And God can use that child for his glory.

 

[Annunciata]

mkw:

Praise be to God that I made the choice to give birth and not abort, and Praise God that He finally got through my thick skull and I came home to His church.

…
Mkw,
Your story is bringing tears to my eyes…What a wonderful witness of responding to God’s Grace!
God Bless You,
Annunciata

 

[Melissa]

While I know I wouldn’t utilize the ‘emergency contraception’ nor want my daughter to do so, I don’t know what the answer is if (and that is a mighty big if) pregnancy resulted, as to whether the baby would be raised as a member of the family or raised as a member of someone else’s family. If such a circumstance happened, I’d be spending a lot of time in prayer and Adoration, and hope for some really clear prompt from the Holy Spirit.

 

[puzzleannie]

Suppose that my father raped your daughter. Would killing me solve anything? would it help her healing and recovery? A woman who has just been violently assaulted does not need another violent physical assault on her body. that will increase her trauma, not mitigate her suffering.

 

[Pug]

I can tell you without serious divine intervention, great support from friends/family, I would go through with the emergency contraception.

I understand this. Some things in my life never came up, and that is the only reason why I escaped doing them, it seems. I know I am weak and easily talked into doing something I don’t want to do, especially if someone plays on my fear.

 

[Almeria]

Some of the posters sound a bit confused on this topic. The topic is not about aborting a child of rape. That is wholly wrong, and not up for debate.

To quote from Fergal’s quote: “A female who has been raped should be able to defend herself against a potential conception from the sexual assault. If, after appropriate testing, there is no evidence that conception has occurred already, she may be treated with medications that would prevent ovulation, sperm capacitation or fertilization.”

So there is no killing of an innocent. No child has been created. This is just another way of fighting off the rapist. I see it as being an extension of trying to get away, or pulling a rapist off (and out) of a woman.

I don’t know how often all the conditions for licit use of emergency contraception would be met. I don’t think it would be all that often.

 

[WhiteDove]

Yes, but the Catch 22 would be that emergency contraception should be administered immediately. I’m not sure if there is any reliable test for a pregnancy that is only an hour old.

 

[Almeria]

But if the woman is using NFP and is aware of where in her cycle she is, it would be known if ovulation has occured recently/will occur recently.

 

[renee1258]

Almeria:

But if the woman is using NFP and is aware of where in her cycle she is, it would be known if ovulation has occured recently/will occur recently.

And what if 48 hours prior to being raped, she had sex with with her husband? She could be potentially aborting a child that was created out of the marital act.

 

[Almeria]

renee1258:

And what if 48 hours prior to being raped, she had sex with with her husband? She could be potentially aborting a child that was created out of the marital act.

First, I believe you mean contraception, and not abortion. And in the instance you mention, I do not see that it would be morally licit to provide emergency contraception, as it could potentially interfere with the properly ordered marital act. That’s why I mention that the licit cases of emergency contraception are probably not many.

 

[Brendan]

Church Teaching allows for the use of spermicide and for the use of ovulation supression if there has not be an ovulation within the previous 72 hours (as determined by a blood test).

It is not only permissible, but desirable to request these treatments.

If ovulation has occured within the previous 72 hours, spermicide may still be used, but the hormonal treatments should not, due to the danger of potential abortion of an innocent life.

If a conception does result, or is even possible, the innocent life that does\may result deserves full protection.

I would do everything possible to ensure that treatment for my wife or daughters would follow Church teaching on the subject.

 

[jess7396]

IF there were a way to be certain that conception had not taken place, I would consider using EC, although AFAIK there is no test that could assure that conception had not yet taken place.

At this point in my life, with 3 children, I would most likely keep the child and raise the child with no knowledge of how they were conceived, dh would agree to this, for the sake of our children. There is no way that I could carry a child for 9 months and then give it away, my children would be devastated, and it is not like I could explain rape (as the reason to give the child away) to my 4 and 3 year olds.

If I were younger and unmarried, or without older children, i would consider giving the child up for adoption.

If my dd were raped, I would only allow EC as I stated in my first sentence, if technology would grant that by then (she’s only 5 now). I would not allow her to use EC otherwise. This all after I found that man and removed his genitals myself, God help any man who every hurts my little girl.

 

[Brendan]

WhiteDove:

Yes, but the Catch 22 would be that emergency contraception should be administered immediately. I’m not sure if there is any reliable test for a pregnancy that is only an hour old.

The test is actually a blood test to show if ovulation has occured.

There is no test that can show if fertilization has occured that soon, but the medical staff can determine if an ovum has been released within the previous 72 hours, and thus fertilization is a possibility.

If there is no ovum present to be fertilized, there is no concern about the potential of an abortion, and ovulation suppressing drugs can licited be used.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

There is a deep misunderstanding here.

There is no such thing as “emergency contraception”. Especially if it is used after the sex act.

What is used, or proposed to be used, is RU-486. This is not a contraceptive, it is an abortifacient. As it does not stop the egg from being fertilized, it stops the fertilized egg from becoming implanted in the uterus.

So in reality the question should read, “Emergency abortion for Rape??”

Recently I have heard that the FDA has grave concerns as the instance of infection following the administration of RU-486 is very high. They are requiring new labeling. There are even a couple of recent deaths attributed to the use of RU-486. They want to now require or stongly suggest that the user of RU-486 see a doctor soon after use.

If this drug was for other things it would be pulled from the market but because of PC attitudes, it will keep making sick and, in some cases, killing those who use it.ps this is the exact same reply that I put in the other thread on this topic. It would be nice if people would search for topics before posting the exact same thing.

 

[AmyS]

Fergal:

My dear AmyS,
It is exactly when victimised that our faith should be at its strongest. It is then saints are made. Victimisation (as you call it) is no excuse to go the way of the world. Does victimisation from cancer make euthanasia a viable option??

Fergal, please don’t get me wrong, working with victims as long as I have I have just learned to never make assumptions on anything… There is a difference in being a victim of rape and a cancer patient. I would NEVER think euthanasia is a viable option… I am sorry you don’t understand what victimisation is (as I call it)… It actually offends me quite a bit that you would put it that way.

To be completely honest, I struggle a lot with this subject, and the Churches teachings on it. I don’t know if I agree with the Church on allowing emergency contraception. Let me make it completely clear, there is no incident that can happen that I feel abortion is EVER an option. I am completely and whole heartedly against abortion, no ifs, ands, or buts… We are talking about emergency contraception and taking it in line with the Churches teachings. I have to say, no, I never see me taking it because I will always stand up for life even if my own life was on the line…

By the way, I have been raped myself, when I was 17, I was a virgin… It was horrific. Trust me God is who gets me through everything, but, living with it… healing takes time, and it is never something you get over… I never even thought of taking emergency contraception, that was the last thing on my mind.

Women, who have their babies after getting raped, are heros… They are amazing, even though they don’t see themselves that way a lot of the time.

 

[jess7396]

David, I appreciate your zeal, but I have to tell you that you are misinformed on this, we are talking here about the “morning after pill” which is not the same as RU-486, here is a link where you can read about each of these and learn the differences:
all.org/brthcnt.htm

ByzCath:

There is a deep misunderstanding here.

There is no such thing as “emergency contraception”. Especially if it is used after the sex act.

What is used, or proposed to be used, is RU-486. This is not a contraceptive, it is an abortifacient. As it does not stop the egg from being fertilized, it stops the fertilized egg from becoming implanted in the uterus.

So in reality the question should read, “Emergency abortion for Rape??”

Recently I have heard that the FDA has grave concerns as the instance of infection following the administration of RU-486 is very high. They are requiring new labeling. There are even a couple of recent deaths attributed to the use of RU-486. They want to now require or stongly suggest that the user of RU-486 see a doctor soon after use.

If this drug was for other things it would be pulled from the market but because of PC attitudes, it will keep making sick and, in some cases, killing those who use it.ps this is the exact same reply that I put in the other thread on this topic. It would be nice if people would search for topics before posting the exact same thing.

 

[Annunciata]

AmyS:

…By the way, I have been raped myself, when I was 17, I was a virgin… It was horrific. Trust me God is who gets me through everything, but, living with it… healing takes time, and it is never something you get over… I never even thought of taking emergency contraception, that was the last thing on my mind.

Women, who have their babies after getting raped, are heros… They are amazing, even though they don’t see themselves that way a lot of the time.

Amy,
I think you are a hero too…God Bless You!
Annunciata