In an Act of Pure Selfishness, Mother Aborts Her “Retarded” Child
Rayna Rapp was late in her second trimester when an amniocentesis test that she had proved that her son had Down syndrome. Down syndrome is a condition that causes a low IQ and a minor deformity of the face. Most children with Down syndrome lead relatively normal lives. Many of them can learn to read, can hold a job, and are happy to be alive.
Rapp, however, did not want her child when she discovered that he would be handicapped. Even though she was fully cognizant of the fact that abortion is murder and she would be killing her unborn baby (she says “deciding to end the life of the fetus you’ve wanted and carried for almost 5 months is no easy matter.”) she chose to kill him.
So why did she decide to kill him? Because apparently having a retarded kid would be too much work. In her own words:
“Mike and I had discussed what we would do if amniocentesis revealed a serious genetic condition long before the test. For us, the diagnosis of Down syndrome was reason to choose abortion. Our thinking was clear… We were eager to have a child, and prepared to change our lives to make emotional, social, and economic resources available. But the realities of raising a child who can never grow to independence would call forth more than we could muster, unless one or both of us give up our work, our political commitments, our social existence beyond the household…. No single family should have to shoulder all the burdens…”
The thought of putting her baby up for adoption does not even cross Rayna Rapp’s mind. To her, there are only two options – a life of inconvenience, or death for her child. She chooses to sacrifice her child. In reality, there is a waiting list for adoption even for babies with Down syndrome. But Rayna Rapp finds it easier simply to do away with her son.
The method of abortion she chooses is a graphic, gruesome method called dilation and evacuation or D&E. Here is how one former abortionist described D&E:
“A second trimester D&E abortion is a blind procedure. The baby can be in any orientation or position inside the uterus. Picture yourself reaching in with the Sopher clamp and grasping anything you can. … You feel something let go and out pops a fully formed leg about 4 to 5 inches long. Reach in again and grasp whatever you can. Set the jaw and pull really hard once again and out pops an arm about the same length. Reach in again and again with that clamp and tear out the spine, intestines, heart and lungs.
The toughest part of a D&E abortion is extracting the baby’s head. The head of a baby that age is about the size of a plum and is now free floating inside the uterine cavity. You can be pretty sure you have hold of it if the Sopher clamp is spread about as far as your fingers will allow. You will know you have it right when you crush down on the clamp and see a pure white gelatinous material issue from the cervix. That was the baby’s brains. You can then extract the skull pieces. If you have a really bad day like I often did, a little face may come out and stare back at you.”
Basically, Rayna Rapp had her child dismembered without any anesthesia. The 21 week old unborn baby boy was fully developed and looked like the baby below – who was photographed at 20 weeks in the womb.
As Rapp describes her choice to dismember her child, she whines about how hard the decision was for her:
“Making the medical arrangements, going back for counseling, the pretests, and finally the abortion, was the most difficult period of my adult life.”
It is remarkable that Rayna Rapp can set herself up as being a victim when she is the perpetrator of an act of violence against her own child. It is remarkable how selfish people can be, how they can refuse to accept their own flesh and blood if the baby does not meet their expectations. It is a truly sad story – made sadder by the mother’s self-righteous justifications.
Sources:
Rayna Rapp “XYLO: a True Story” test tube women: What Future for Motherhood (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984)
A Former Abortionist Describes a D&E ” Dr. Anthony Levantino, priests for life, http://clinicquotes.com/site/story.php?id=6