Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
No, I Didn’t Die

No, I Didn’t Die

Last updated on: October 11, 2016 at 4:38 pm by Mary Pezzulo

No, I Didn’t Die 2016-10-11T16:38:57-04:00 Mary Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

sad-505857_640

(image via pixabay)

Today we’ve heard from the wonderful Leticia Adams over at Through Broken Roses, very gracefully handling the ridiculous line of questioning a pro-life activist put to her on Twitter.

A pro-life activist defending Donald Trump asked her, with total seriousness, “but did you die?” He was attempting to illustrate that rape is a less serious sin than abortion, because it leaves the victim still breathing. She wrote a lovely essay explaining the ways in which she did; everyone needs to go check it out.

I can’t top her answer. But as a rape survivor myself, I want to respond as well. And just a warning to my fellow survivors, I’m going to be graphic. If they don’t object to Trump’s lewd language, I think I can get away with some clinical detail.

No, I didn’t die.

It hurt to go to the bathroom for nine months. I had some kind of nasty infection because she didn’t wash her hands first, and it made it sting like fire every time I urinated for nine months. But I couldn’t get treatment for the infection because I was too afraid to admit what happened. My pro-choice friends from out of state said that if I could get to a Planned Parenthood, they would treat my infection without asking what happened, but I couldn’t get to a Planned Parenthood because I knew that none of my pro-life friends in town would give me a ride to such a place. So I waited until it went away, and it took nine months. But I didn’t die.

That was about how long it took to be able to sleep for more than two hours at a time, as well; I would sleep for two hours, stay awake for five hours, then back to sleep for two again, and so on like clockwork throughout a twenty-four hour period. And every time I woke up, I had a flashback. And every time my husband touched me, I had a flashback. And every time I lay down on my right side, I had a flashback. I had flashbacks if I didn’t go to bed in jeans and a heavy blanket, even in the summer when the heat made me sick. I had flashbacks every time somebody said the word “protection,” because that was one of the words her accomplice said with a big grin on her face, just after it happened. I wanted to pray to Saint Michael, but I couldn’t say the standard Saint Michael prayer, because it had that infernal, hateful word in it and would trigger a flashback, so I laid in bed on my left side, clutching his icon and saying nothing. But I didn’t die.

Breastfeeding my daughter was agony beyond description. But I didn’t die.

My husband couldn’t touch me for months, but I didn’t die.

I had prayed, “Dear God, don’t let me get raped.”

Then I prayed, “Dear God, why do I keep thinking this was rape? It wasn’t, was it?”

Then I prayed, “Dear God, let me forget I was raped.”

And all along I prayed, “Dear God, let me die.”

But I didn’t die.

No, I didn’t die. Does that answer your question?

I am completely against abortion. I never want a woman or child to suffer that horror. But I have something to say to everyone who splits hairs in this way– to everyone out there who is right now trying to defend a man who bragged about “Grabbing pussy,” which is rape, because “abortion is worse.” Not to all pro-life people, just to that kind. Do you know why everyone hates you so much? It’s not because you’re doing Christ’s work. It’s because you’ve taken one evil and made it your idol. You look away from the whole of the law to focus on one particular, admittedly heinous, violation of one commandment. You look away from your sister’s whole self to obsess over her womb, and then you can’t see her tears when you ask, “But did you die?” Where your treasure is, there will your heart be. Where your gaze remains focused, there is your idol. Your idol is abortion.

You’re defending someone who joked about “grabbing pussy” because you won’t take your eyes off of your idol.

It takes a special kind of person to make opposition to killing a baby look oafish, and you’ve done it.

You’ve done it.

Congratulations.

God’s name is blasphemed among the gentiles because of you.

No, I didn’t die. I survived. And if you think you’re scoring pro-life points by asking a rape survivor if she died, to prove her violation wasn’t as bad, then your soul is dead.

If anyone is interested in picking up the pieces of the pro-life movement and actually helping people, I’m right with you, but we need to back away from the pathetic joke it’s become.

Previous Post

October 11, 2016

But Did She Die?

Next Post

October 12, 2016 Father Frank Pavone Responds (Sort Of) (Updated)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What fruit did Adam and Eve eat in the Garden of Eden?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Forbidden fruit Lemon Grape Banana