Stop including rape in abortion politics!

TRIGGER WARNING:

I wanted to send this to every single Republican politician, but instead I’m just venting by posting it here.

I am a survivor of sexual assault. It has taken me a long time to come to terms with that sentence. I’ve told a lot of people, but not everyone because I know some people will place judgment on me while others will feel uncomfortable. But I’ve already placed enough judgment on myself and, believe me, being raped is more uncomfortable than learning that someone you know was raped.

The reason I’m declaring this now for everyone is because I am so SICK of the political climate mentioning rape every other day. Let me make some things very clear since they’re apparently points of debate: 1. God did not intend for me or anyone else to be raped. 2. Rape is a tragic crime that occurs way too often. There is no question of “legitimacy.” 3. Most importantly, rape should have absolutely nothing to do with abortion politics. Some survivors choose to abort the babies caused from rape and some choose to carry them to term. I can’t say what I would have done if put in the same place, but I do know that it would have been my fucking choice. But that’s not because I was raped. I shouldn’t be given power over my body just because I was raped. Power and control over my life and health are my human rights. My rapist took those away. Why are Republicans trying to do the same?

In countries where abortion is illegal, maternal mortality is higher. Women are going to take control over their bodies and health regardless of laws. That’s because that’s our right. Reducing access to safe and legal abortions isn’t going to reduce abortions or save lives. If you want to reduce abortions, providing affordable contraceptives to every sexually active person who needs it is going to do that.

If you say you’re pro-life, and that’s why you condemn abortion, you’re saying you’re pro-unborn-fetus, but anti-woman. That may not be your intention, but it has the same effect nonetheless. I personally am pro-life and that is WHY I am pro-choice. And if you say you condemn rape, but you’re constantly triggering survivors and taking away their rights, slut-shaming women, and holding victim-blaming attitudes about the “legitimacy” of rape, then you are perpetuating rape culture.

If you truly want to prove that you’re pro-life and that you condemn rape, treat women with some fucking respect. Stop talking about rape survivors like we’re a fucking special interest group. 1 in 4 women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. That’s not a special interest, that’s a cultural tragedy. When there is legislation about WOMEN’S bodies, let WOMEN make those decisions. It’s really not that difficult. We live in the 21st century. Start acting like it.