What You Need to Know About Rape-Related Pregnancy

Dear Todd Akin et al,

• there are about 683,000 rapes in the United States each year
• about 5 percent of those rapes result in pregnancy
• rapes cause about 32,000 unwanted pregnancies in the United States annually
• victims received post-assault medical care (within one month) in less than a quarter of these cases
• half of all rape-related pregnancies occur in girls aged 12-17
• rape-related pregnancy is highly correlated with domestic violence and incest
• the false idea that "real" rape cannot result in pregnancy dates back to the Middle Ages

Sources: The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology; The Guttmacher Institute; The Guardian

 

Comments

[Lucas Bowen]

One small perspective to add. While the numbers stated are highly disturbing, keep in mind as well that according to the http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/projectionsagesex.html, in 2010 there were 123.4 mio. women in the US in the age group 5-64. This would signal that about 1 of every 200 women/girls experience rape at any one point in their lifes!

I'm horrified!