This case is weird because its obviously terrible that this happened in the first place- and I am pro-choice but some parts of this confuse me. Why didn’t the mom research the law and see the rape exception? Why didn’t doctors tell her? They did tell her to go to Chicago- its sad to say but why didn’t she go into debt to potentially save her child’s life? It’s cheaper to pay off a payday loan or credit card debt than it is to pay for a child.
Why didn’t the mom research the law and see the rape exception?
Miss. Code § 41-41-45 requires a formal charge of rape by law enforcement for the exception to be applicable. If you read on to the Time article linked at the end of the Daily Beast article the mother claims to have been unaware of the rape to begin with. Even if charges could, as a matter of procedure, be filed against a John Doe to satisfy the requirement you still have to convince law enforcement to file those charges. Just informing a doctor that the pregnancy was the result of rape is insufficient to satisfy the exception.
Now you might be thinking, “Well, Mom didn’t know but the kid knew what happened to her.” I point to this from the Time article:
Regina hadn’t yet explained to her daughter how a baby is made, because she didn’t think Ashley was old enough to understand. “They need to be kids,” Regina says. She doesn’t think Ashley even realized that what happened to her could lead to a pregnancy.
It is unsurprising that she might lack the understanding and foresight required to be her own advocate on this issue.
This case is weird because its obviously terrible that this happened in the first place- and I am pro-choice but some parts of this confuse me. Why didn’t the mom research the law and see the rape exception? Why didn’t doctors tell her? They did tell her to go to Chicago- its sad to say but why didn’t she go into debt to potentially save her child’s life? It’s cheaper to pay off a payday loan or credit card debt than it is to pay for a child.
I was with you until the second half
Miss. Code § 41-41-45 requires a formal charge of rape by law enforcement for the exception to be applicable. If you read on to the Time article linked at the end of the Daily Beast article the mother claims to have been unaware of the rape to begin with. Even if charges could, as a matter of procedure, be filed against a John Doe to satisfy the requirement you still have to convince law enforcement to file those charges. Just informing a doctor that the pregnancy was the result of rape is insufficient to satisfy the exception.
Now you might be thinking, “Well, Mom didn’t know but the kid knew what happened to her.” I point to this from the Time article:
It is unsurprising that she might lack the understanding and foresight required to be her own advocate on this issue.