Victims and Victors: Speaking Out About Their Pregnancies, Abortions, and Children Resulting from Sexual Assault

This compelling book addresses the complex issues surrounding sexual assault pregnancy and abortion in a clear and insightful manner. Drawn from a survey of nearly 200 women who experienced rape or incest pregnancies,Victims and Victorsreveals a seldom-heard truth: that most women who become pregnant through sexual assault do not want abortions!Victims and Victorsleaps past the rhetoric that typically dominates the abortion issue to give women a chance to tell their stories. These are the real “experts” on this complex issue: the women who have been there.Just listen to what they have to say:“After my daughter was born, it was love at first sight . . . I know I made the right decision in having her.” -Nancy “Cole”“Often I cry. Cry because I could not stop the attacks. Cry because my daughter is dead. And I cry because it still hurts.” -Edith Young“I think that rape victims with pregnancies are discriminated against because people seem to think you’re nuts to have a baby by a man who raped you. We are looked upon as being liars, or stupid.” -Sharon “Bailey”“They say abortion is the easy way out, the best thing for everyone, but they are wrong. It has been over 15 years, and I still suffer.” -“Rebecca Morris”“I thank God for the strength He gave me to go through the bad times and for all of the joy in the good times. I will never regret that I chose to give life to my daughter.” -Mary Murray“Abortion does not help or solve a problem-it only compounds and creates another trauma for the already grieving victim by taking away the one thing that can bring joy.” -Helene Evans“The effects of the abortion are much more far-reaching than the effects of the rape in my life.” -“Patricia Ryan”“I, having lived through rape, and having raised a child ‘conceived in rape,’ feel personally assaulted and insulted every time I hear that abortion should be legal for rape and incest. I feel that we’re being used to further the abortion issue, even though we’ve not been asked to tell our side of the story.” -Kathleen DeZeeuwInVictims a