Why many Republicans now oppose abortion exceptions for rape
| New York
Ryan Bomberger was 13 years old when his adoptive parents first told him he was conceived after his birth mother was raped.
He grew up in a devout evangelical family with 15 children, 10 of whom were adopted by his parents, who were committed to providing a loving home for his diverse array of brothers and sisters. 鈥淲e all had our different stories, and our parents always shared with us the stories of our birth moms 鈥� it was a way to honor our birth moms 鈥� since we were toddlers.鈥�
But learning about the horrific experience of his own birth mother left him reeling. 鈥淵ou know, 13 is a crazy time for any child, a tumultuous time of life,鈥� says Mr. Bomberger, who, with his wife Bethany, runs , a faith-based anti-abortion organization in Purcellville, Virginia. 鈥淪o it was shocking. It was painful. It kind of rewrote the narrative I had of myself in my mind.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
Traditionally, Republicans against abortion have supported exceptions for rape and incest. But as Roe v. Wade teeters, a shift is taking shape.
Today, however, the narrative of his life has become a focal point in what has been a dramatic shift in the politics of abortion. In the recent past, Republicans and GOP lawmakers who opposed abortion generally made exceptions for cases of rape and incest. But for a growing number of those who have long battled legalized abortion, Mr. Bomberger鈥檚 life highlights what they see as a wrenching truth: innocent, unborn lives have value and purpose, even when they are conceived in violence.
鈥淚 was loved like crazy by my parents, so finding the truth of my origin didn鈥檛 destroy me 鈥� it strengthened me and made me realize I have a story to tell,鈥� says Mr. Bomberger, who worked as a creative director in advertising before launching his foundation. 鈥淎nd I found that even more powerful that she went through what she went through, and that I had a birth mom who was courageous enough to give me life and give me the gift of adoption.鈥�
In some ways, this is the inescapable ultimatum of the movement鈥檚 focus on the dignity of the unborn. And it has been gaining ascendancy as Republican-dominated states anticipate the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which held that abortion is a constitutional right. This seems even more likely after the publication of a leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision expected in June.
Since 2021, have passed bills that would severely restrict or ban abortion. Only three include exceptions for rape or incest, according to , which tracks abortion legislation.
鈥淭he humanity of the preborn is not measured on a sliding scale,鈥� says Kristan Hawkins, president of , which seeks to abolish abortion. 鈥淚t either does or does not exist. That鈥檚 the key issue. ... We reject shaming children for things beyond their control, and mourn a current culture that tells people conceived in rape that they should not exist, causing them great pain.鈥�
For some who support abortion-rights, however, the growing Republican opposition to exceptions for rape and incest only strengthens their conviction that the anti-abortion movement is more deeply about the role of women in society.
鈥淚n the end, what they want is a total ban on abortion, because I don鈥檛 think they believe that women are individuals 鈥� they think that women are essentially mothers,鈥� says Kimberly Hamlin, professor of history at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. 鈥淪o they believe fetal rights, fetal personhood should be covered under the 14th Amendment and should trump the rights of living, breathing girls and women.鈥澛�
This question was central to the earliest iterations of the women鈥檚 rights movement. 鈥淚t was the quest for bodily autonomy that really brought women to meetings, to organize for reform in the 19th century,鈥� Dr. Hamlin says. 聽
Women had no power over their bodies, she adds. Men had conjugal rights within marriage, which meant there was no such thing as marital rape. The muzzled frank discussions of spousal sexual abuse and made the dissemination of contraceptives illegal. With few exceptions, women were not able to divorce their husbands.聽
Even the temperance movement 鈥渨as really the MeToo movement of the 19th and 20th centuries,鈥� Dr. Hamlin says. 鈥淲omen have always understood, whether or not they could say it or not say it, bodily autonomy and political autonomy are two sides of the same coin.鈥�
One study of聽, which included in-depth interviews, found 63% who oppose abortion on legal grounds support a rape exception, while 58% who are morally opposed believe abortion may be justified in rape cases. Sociologist Tricia Bruce, who led the study for the University of Notre Dame鈥檚 McGrath Institute for Church Life, says that鈥檚 closer to half when you look specifically at Republicans who oppose abortion.
The report revealed a desire to delve more deeply into moral discussions over the issue, says Dr. Bruce. Most Americans feel an ambivalence and moral uncertainty that polls don鈥檛 necessarily capture, she adds.聽Republicans were outliers in opposing traditional legal exceptions.
鈥淭he kinds of things that people said were, 鈥榃ell, it鈥檚 not the baby鈥檚 fault,鈥� 鈥榃e鈥檒l love the baby no matter what,鈥� or 鈥楾he child has done nothing wrong,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淩epublicans also use language like, 鈥楾wo wrongs don鈥檛 make a right.鈥欌��
They were also the most likely to express skepticism about a woman鈥檚 claim of being raped 鈥� that it was used as justification to get an abortion.聽
The shift against exceptions for rape and incest has presented a challenge for some Republican leaders, including former President Donald Trump. In 2019 he : 鈥淎s most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions 鈥� Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother 鈥� the same position taken by Ronald Reagan.鈥�
In 2019, both House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that did not include these exceptions.
States such as Oklahoma have moved to ban abortion entirely, and many in the anti-abortion movement are working for a federal ban that would encompass the entire nation. But for now, most new Republican state laws still give women 6 to 15 weeks of pregnancy to make the decision on an abortion.
That is something of a political compromise. Florida state Sen. Kelli Stargel, a Republican, sponsored the state鈥檚 new abortion law, which bans the procedure only after 15 weeks, though that doesn鈥檛 reflect her own moral views.
鈥淗aving once been a scared, teenage mother myself, I understand the anguish of a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy,鈥� she tells the Monitor via email. 鈥淲hile the challenges surrounding an unplanned pregnancy would certainly be made exponentially more difficult when the pregnancy is the result of the crime of incest, rape, or human trafficking, the human life carried in the mother鈥檚 womb is the same. I believe that life begins at conception, and we have a duty to protect innocent life, even in the most difficult circumstances.鈥�
The issue emerged in several of this year鈥檚 Republican primaries. During a Republican primary debate for Pennsylvania鈥檚 open U.S. Senate seat, candidate Kathy Barnette proclaimed, 鈥淚 am the byproduct of a rape. My mother was 11 years old when I was conceived, my father was 21. I was not just a 鈥榣ump of cells.鈥� As you can see, I鈥檓 still not just a 鈥榣ump of cells.鈥� My life has value.鈥�
For many who oppose exceptions to abortion bans, their view is rooted in deep religious beliefs. The Notre Dame survey found that many say, even amid tragedy and heartbreak, God鈥檚 goodness can still burst through.
鈥淚 meet a lot of rape survivors, and some of our colleagues and some of our friends are rape survivors,鈥� says Mr. Bomberger. 鈥淎nd I didn鈥檛 expect there to be this common thread with those who鈥檝e chosen adoption, or those mothers who chose to parent 鈥� that the child is the only redemptive part of such a horrific act.鈥澛�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what compels me to share my side of the story,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 want to say to those who experienced rape, or those who are trying to work out in their minds whether to have an abortion after rape, I鈥檓 just saying, I鈥檓 the other side of the story 鈥� that triumph can come from these moments of tragedy.鈥�
Editor's note: This story was changed to clarify the period of time some states now allow to obtain an abortion.
