The Issue
Susan is my neighbor, who was raped two months ago and became pregnant. She decided to undergo an abortion with the full consent of her family due to the traumatic experience she had about the pregnancy. I would have no idea if her faith played any role in their decision to terminate the pregnancy. However, since there is a possibility they talked to a pastoral care worker, I wish to propose some guidelines that can be followed by a pastoral care worker based on the faith and culture of the victim. They will also involve elements of critical healing and thinking that will help in the decision-making process.
Voices of Culture
Legal
In most parts of the world, pre-rape abortion is not a criminal offense and thus guarantees such victims the right of making decisions with regard to the termination of pregnancy to protect their physical integrity, health, or even their lives.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Professional
On the issue of abortion, medical experts are of the view that a pregnancy can be terminated if it acts in the best interests of the mother and the child. A post-rape victim’s best interests will be to preserve her integrity by eliminating prolonged and excessive psychological and physical suffering.
Voices of Faith
Official
The attitude of religious leaders towards abortion falls on the spectrum of pro-choice to pro-life. However, some Christians take a nuanced stance on the issue of abortion. Some religions allow abortion when it threatens the life and dignity of the mother or when it is conceived as a result of brutality, while others consider it to be a sin (Christie, 2020). However, post-rape victims have been allowed to make decisions by pro-choice religious doctrines to safeguard their interests.
History
Contemporary Christian denominations have been known to oppose intentional abortion as immoral while allowing indirect abortion where the death of the fetus is not sought as an end or a means but as a side effect. However, there are no concrete beliefs with regards to post-rape abortion. To this end, it is incumbent on the victim to make the right decision.
Loved Ones
Susan consulted with her family, who share the same faith, to discuss her concerns. They were of the opinion that nothing was morally wrong with the decision to terminate the pregnancy.
Theological Ethics
The ethics of best interest is applicable in Susan’s case because there are no clear reasons against her decision to terminate the pregnancy, given the circumstances surrounding the situation. They had the responsibility of doing what they regarded as better. As Christians, they had to use their discernment to make the right choice.
Discernment
Woundedness
A pastoral care worker needs to be alive to the fact that bias might be a factor that can blind the victim and her loved ones from making objective decisions. The victim might want to avoid stigma or live with a child that she did not plan to have. On the other hand, other family members may be trying to avoid “bad blood” from the family. Some family members might also hesitantly agree to maintain family loyalty.
Dialog
The pastoral care worker should try and engage each family member to get to know how they feel about the situation and which decision they feel is the best. In this manner, he will be in a position to identify assumptions and biases which need to be addressed.
Guidelines
Here are the guidelines that a pastoral worker can use to address the issue of post-rape abortion.
He should not arrive at his conclusions of what he thinks is best but rather be in a position to evaluate the decision made by the rape victim and her family to ensure that they have made the right decision.
He should be able to have a sound understanding of the professional and legal ethical aspects of the situation and inform the concerned parties of its implications irrespective of their faith.
He should engage with all the loved ones of the rape victim, including close relatives and friends, in seeking the best outcome for the situation. He should let them know what life would be like after the abortion and how it will affect the victim, her family, and her future. He should also be open to questions about stigma, medical complications, ethical issues, and any other issues that the victim and family may wish to avoid.
He should take into consideration the wishes of the rape victim as well as those of the family and try to reach a middle ground.
He should inquire about the religious beliefs of the concerned parties to have an insight into the decision made.
Finally, the pastoral care worker should also be prepared to address demands from the administration and patients with similar issues by offering comprehensive and sound solutions so as to heal underlying willfulness and biases, which can sometimes result into conflict situations.
Reference
Christie, J. (2020). Is abortion Okay after Rape? Focus on the Family . Retrieved from:
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/is-abortion-okay-after-rape/
