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Sunday, May 17, 2015
Conceived in Incest:
Why I cannot remain silent on the 20 week fetal pain bill…
By Kristi Hofferber
Define pain… Is it the act of being torn limb from limb, or
maybe it is the act of being discriminated against? This question remains at the center of a
nationwide hot topic issue surrounding abortion in America. Unfortunately with the piece of legislation
known as H.R. 36, those of us who are conceived in rape or incest will feel the
pain in both instances. This bill, if
passed, will seek to minimize abortion after 20 weeks gestation for the unborn
under the premise that they can feel pain at or after this state in the womb. But wait, there is a caveat. If the woman claims rape, or that she is the
victim of incest, she receives a free pass.
She is then able to obtain the abortion up until the day of delivery if
she so chooses. So how is the H.R 36 a
step forward? This sends the wrong
message to women who need support and compassion in these situations, not an excuse
to potentially bring themselves further trauma and the loss of their unborn
child, not to mention that we (those of us conceived in rape or incest) feel
pain too at this state of gestation.
My personal story has
been shared many times in the pro-life realm, but do people really understand
the situation? There were six children
conceived between my biological mother and her own father, four of which
tragically lost their lives to abortion to conceal his criminal actions. These children were given the death penalty
for the crime of our biological father.
This hardly seems like justice!
In fact, the law allowed this “opportunity” for our biological father to
cover his crimes, and ensure that the evidence was “taken care of.” So then what for his daughter, our biological
mother? First and foremost, the abuse
should have never happened. Secondly, no one batted an eye when my biological
father took her time and time again to the same abortion clinic. So who is being protected by legislation that
includes a rape and incest exception? We
are providing the rapist with the ultimate escape! Why then would we tout this legislation as
progress when the victims are legally allowed to be victimized yet again?
I am the only surviving
child of this horrific situation. I was
adopted at birth, grew up in nurturing and stable home, and I am now finishing
my master’s degree in social work to further extend my abilities to help these
women and children. I know that my life is
not in vein, and I will stand firm in support of legislation that defends 100%
of unborn children in America. The
pro-life movement needs more organizations and individuals who are willing to
put it all on the line and stand boldly against this type of discriminatory
legislation. We need to be firmly united
in support of laws that do not defile an entire class of children, and hold our
legislators accountable from the start. As
American citizens we do not accept discrimination between one race over
another, so then why should we allow it with the lives of the unborn who are
the most vulnerable of our population? If
abortion was illegal in cases such as rape and incest in this country, my
birthmother would not have endured over twenty years of abuse by her own
father. Standing for what is right,
especially when it comes to innocent lives, is crucial to gaining ground and
ending abortion in our country. Are you
willing to take a stand for what’s right, or are you going to defend legislation
that further harms women, punishes a child with death because of the crimes of
his or her father, and allows the criminal to walk away unscathed? I am not willing compromise the value of your
life, why should the value of those of us conceived in rape or incest be any
less?
To learn more about
Kristi’s story, follow her on Facebook at Kristi Hofferber, Pro-life Speaker,
or at www.kristihofferber.com. Kristi is the
wife of a pastor, and together they have one son. She speaks nationally and internationally on
the importance of “no exceptions” in pro-life issues, and she is a founding
member of Living Exceptions.
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