“Kill the child and let the rapist live? If you’re going to kill someone over rape, doesn’t it make more sense to kill the rapist and let the child live”?
~ Pat Buchanan
Kiessling gives a three-step process in terms of how candidates should answer the question:
1. The Supreme Court has said that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment for rapists and that rapists don’t deserve the death penalty. I don’t think the innocent child conceived in rape deserves the death penalty for the crimes of her father. It seems to me that is cruel and unusual punishment.
2. Rape victims are four times more likely to die within the next year after the abortion, with a higher rate of suicide, murder, drug overdose, etc.. As someone who really cares about rape victims, I want to protect them from the rapist, and from the abortion, and not the baby. A baby is not the worst thing that could ever happen to a rape victim — an abortion is. We need to educate the American public on the truth in this matter and not make public policy based on myth and misinformation.
3. Rape victims choose abortion at half the rate of the average unplanned pregnancy, which is over 50%. Only 15-25% of rape victims choose abortion, depending on the study. The majority of rape victims choose to raise her child — not “the rapist’s baby” — HER child.
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/08/20/woman-conceived-in-rape-responds-to-akin-abortion-controversy/
Dont really know who Kiessling is, but see, you are terming this in how politicians feel and should answer questions. I dont really care about that. I’m not trying to make a political point here....I’m just saying that there is no way, in that case, that I would ever force a girl one way or the other. I’d encourage her to adopt or raise the child, but I can’t say you have to. She didn’t make any choice that I can point to and say “you have an obligation”. And frankly, I’d like to hear how that conversation would go down with a girl that you cared about? You’ve given all the arguments, all the talking points, all the effort you can give but she says “sorry, I just dont think I can handle having this baby”. What do you say to her? Not what did Pat Buchannan say, or what does Kiessling say that candidates say, what do you say when you look her in the face to tell her that like it or not, she’s going to give birth? How do you tell a person something like that? Its beyond me.