I do not generally discuss politics here, but I also can’t ignore blatant misunderstandings of biology. Please note that this post discusses rape and conception in a clinical manner.
I have a background in women’s health. By background, I mean I have studied midwifery. I have attended births in a professional support capacity. I have counseled women on reproductive issues. I happen to be a woman.
All of which means that I not only have the requisite plumbing to become pregnant, but I also have a thorough education in how it all works.
Conception is a biological process. It is the meeting of the necessary materials in the appropriate space at the appropriate time. If all things are appropriate, it will happen. It does not take into consideration how loving the method of material delivery was. It cares only that the basic requirements are met.
There is no magic off switch triggered in a woman’s or a girl’s body to prevent conception if she is raped. To suggest otherwise is simply another form of violence, this time using words.
If a woman or a girl is raped and becomes pregnant as a result, it does not mean that it was not rape. It does not mean that her body neglected to hit the off button on her reproductive cycle because it knew what was happening wasn’t truly rape. It means she had violence done to her at a time and in a way that also fit the biological requirements of conception.
It was not her fault.