Tell Concerned Women for America That There is no “Cure-All” for Rape

This week, while we were busy trying to get military insurance coverage for raped servicewomen, the anti-abortion group Concerned Women for America (CWA), showed us that they aren’t really that concerned about women at all.

In a letter to the Senate opposing the Shaheen amendment, CWA said the amendment would be giving “abortion as a ‘cure-all’” for rape.

This outrageous statement shows just how little CWA knows about how sexual violence affects women. Women need access to a full range of health care services, including abortion care, following a sexual assault. However, the suggestion that any single element of health care—or any single thing for that matter—could act as a “cure-all” for rape is absurd and insulting. Ironically, this rhetoric shows little concern for women and minimizes the impact of a sexual assault. 

Saying “abortion is a ‘cure-all’” for rape is like saying a band aid is a cure-all for cancer. Tell CWA that there is no “cure-all” for rape and send them a band aid.

NAF will send CWA one band aid stamped with #nocureall4rape every time someone:

• likes or shares our Facebook post about this letter,
• tweets using the hashtag #nocureall4rape, or
• signs up to receive alerts from us 

between now and December 31.

Standing up for Raped Servicewomen

This week, we asked you to urge your senators to support the Shaheen amendment. This amendment would have lifted the ban on military insurance coverage for abortion care in cases where servicewomen become pregnant as the result of rape or incest. Thank you for taking action!

Unfortunately, anti-choice legislators blocked the Shaheen amendment from coming to the floor for a vote. Senator Shaheen, Majority Leader Reid, and other senators fought very hard for us.

As disappointed as we are right now, you should know that together we made a huge impact in the Senate and we got a great response from Senate staff. We heard about Senate offices where callers could not get through because of how many calls they were getting about this issue. Thank you so much for standing up for raped servicewomen!

The fight doesn’t end here. We are already making plans for our next steps—carrying this momentum forward—and are working to ensure that the Shaheen amendment is in the FY13 National Defense Authorization Act. We will need your help again next year to make this a reality.

Women in the military stand up for us and we won’t stop standing up for them.

Wednesday's Words from Women

As much as I would like to have children, I know that this isn’t the right time for me to continue a pregnancy. I just graduated from college and I am in a healthy relationship. I have a decent job but I struggle to make ends meet. When I found out I was pregnant I knew immediately what my decision would be. My boyfriend and I are nowhere near financially stable enough to support a child. Thankfully, accessing abortion care in my state is not as restrictive as it is in other states. I was fortunate enough to get an appointment within three days of calling a clinic. Throughout the four hours I was at the clinic, I spent the majority of the time with about six other women who were going through the same thing. I immediately felt better knowing that I wasn't alone.

I have no regrets. I know I made the right choice. I couldn’t be the mother I want to be at this time and I wouldn’t have been able to give a child the life that it deserved.

I will forever be an advocate for the pro-choice movement and I hope my story helps other women who are scared to choose what is best for them.

--Submitted by Joelle* through our website


I would definitely love to give a huge and grateful thank you to NAF for having an open support system available for women in my situation. It makes people feel like they are not alone and that they have a variety of options available. When I found out that I was pregnant, I had no job nor was I getting help from the man involved. I felt like I was going to be “forced” to have a child! So thank you so much for everything you all do.

--Submitted by Fallone* through a member clinic.


Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we feature real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.

Standing up for Servicewomen: Rape Survivors Deserve Access to Abortion Care

Today The Hill published my blog post about an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would provide servicewomen with military insurance coverage for abortion care in cases of rape and incest:

Standing up for servicewomen: Rape survivors deserve access to abortion care

Recently, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to lift the current ban on military insurance covering abortion care in cases where a woman is pregnant after rape or incest. Unfortunately, rape is a very real threat for American servicewomen, and they must be able to access the abortion care they need after experiencing sexual violence.

Servicewomen rely on the military for their health care, but under current policy they are left to fend for themselves if they become pregnant after rape or incest. Through our website and toll-free hotline, we hear from military women about their difficulties obtaining abortion care after they experience sexual violence:

I am in the military and got raped and became pregnant. I would like to just move on without military intervention. I am stationed in South Korea and abortion is illegal here, even for rape. I cannot go home on leave at this time. I don’t know what to do. What can I do?

--Anonymous; South Korea


I am a single female serving my country in Iraq. I was raped. . . I volunteered for this deployment, and I worked hard for my promotion. I deserve to continue my mission. And I missed my period today . . . I need my career and I want to serve. This has been my dream: to serve my country. And I never thought that I would have to worry about being raped. But it happened to me. Please, I am asking . . . can you help me?

--Anonymous; Iraq

Rape survivors in the military are most often from the lower ranks, earning less pay, and therefore less likely to be able to pay extra for medical care. Denial of coverage adds significant financial burdens to women who may delay accessing care in order to find the needed funds. It's wrong that after being raped so many of our servicewomen have to put their lives, health, and military careers at risk in order to access the abortion care they need.

This is also a matter of fundamental fairness. Military insurance should be comparable to other federal health insurance programs, many of which cover abortion care in cases of rape and incest. Women in the military put their lives on the line for our country, and they deserve the same access to safe, legal abortion care after sexual violence as their civilian counterparts.

Other federal health insurance programs are prohibited from providing funding for abortion care, but unlike the military, most contain an exception for pregnancy resulting from rape and incest. Although I don’t support bans on the funding of abortion care, at the very least making military policy consistent with other federal health insurance programs, such as Medicaid, is imperative for the health and well being of women in the military.

Military women receive high quality medical care during their military careers for other harm that comes to them, and that should include coverage of abortion care for women who have survived sexual violence. Women in our military stand up for us. We must stand up for them.

Wednesday's Words from Women

I am 35 years old and have two children who are 16 and 18. I recently got laid off from my job and my husband has been out of work for over a year due to a bad car wreck. We have no other income or insurance at this time. If I continued this pregnancy, I would have one more child that I would have to struggle to raise. At night I often wonder what the next meal will be or where it will come from. There is no one around to assist me with the needs that I have now. So I am very confident that my decision to have an abortion is the right choice. Why should I bring another life into an unstable situation? We are already one step away from being homeless. Thank you for keeping the right to CHOOSE alive!

--Submitted by Cagney* through our website


I’m 21 years old and pretty much not ready to have a child. I just lost my job and I am no longer able to pay the few bills I do have. Continuing this pregnancy would make my situation much harder and would also be in poor judgment. I want to be stable enough to ensure that my child will never see me struggle.

--Submitted by Bardot* through a member clinic


Over one-third of women of reproductive age have an abortion by the age of 45. However, women who have chosen abortion are often absent from the public debate. In order to break the silence surrounding abortion, we feature real stories from real women each Wednesday on our blog. If you would like to share your story with us or have it published on our blog, go to http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/hotline/share.html.