The Politics of Control: How Abortion Bans Echo the Trauma of Sexual Assault

Do you remember where you were when you heard the news that Roe was overturned? We all knew it was coming, we’d seen the leaked Supreme Court Draft Opinion, and watched helplessly as Trump handpicked a court for the purpose of overturning Roe.

But I was still gut-punched when the historic news wafted through my car speakers as I pulled into the grocery store parking lot. It was June 24th, 2022, and I was five months pregnant with my second son. I was shocked, and the pain surprised and overwhelmed me. I cried in my car, scrolled the news, texted my husband, my girlfriends, my mom. I felt even sadder when an elderly man in the grocery store grabbed a box of cereal for me while nodding his condolences.  

I know my despair, rage, and fear are not unique. We all felt it, and it continues with the repercussions that decision has had on women in our country. I was surprised, though, that the despair of hearing that Roe was overturned drew from the same painful well that my trauma does. 

It got me thinking, what does Roe have to do with sexual assault? 

Overturning Roe Directly Impacts Survivors

Most obviously, overturning Roe can force women to carry pregnancies that are consequences of assault. At the time of writing this article, six states have enacted abortion laws that do not have an exception for rape or incest (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas). 

Living with the repercussions of sexual assault is unimaginably painful. Forcing a survivor to carry a baby that is a reminder and product of sexual assault or incest for nine months is unconscionable. It ignores the humanity of women and survivors.  

It sends a clear message that people in power care so little about women’s experience of sexual assault that they will prioritize an unborn fetus over women’s lives. It also layers assault with an additional threat if you get assaulted and happen to get pregnant, you are not guaranteed the right to an abortion. You may not have a right to protect your own life and humanity, beyond what’s been already taken from you through the assault itself. Also, in states that do have an exception for rape, I imagine it would be quite difficult, if not impossible, to prove a pregnancy is a result of rape in the limited time before an abortion is needed.

Power and Control 

Experiencing sexual trauma is the pinnacle of losing power and control. During an assault, another person physically overpowers you. After an assault, the brain and body remain hijacked by trauma, which can cause chaotic thoughts, behaviors, and reactions, which leaves many survivors feeling out of control.   

Loss of power and control is embedded in the experience of sexual assault and overturning Roe asserts that same dominance over women. It’s a resounding declaration that the government has the final say over our bodies. It feels the same as sexual trauma because it’s the regulatory version of the personal. 

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and the Rape, Abuse & Incese National Netowrk (RAINN): 

• Approximately 1 in 5 women (20%) will be raped at some point in their lives.
• About 1 in 3 women (33%) experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.
• Each year, an estimated 433,648 people age 12 or older are sexually assaulted in the U.S.

I know these numbers are thrown around frequently, and we’ve become almost immune to them. But let’s try to hold their gravity for a moment. Thirty-three percent of women in our country will experience sexual violence at some point in their lifetime. That means that a third of our sisters, mothers, and friends have had to grapple with issues of power and control as it relates to her own bodily integrity. And the other sixty-six percent of women know this threat is ever present, even though she hasn’t experienced it directly. 

Overturning Roe reinforces the lack of power and control that women have. We already live with a pervasive threat of sexual violence in our society. The power imbalance between men and women is actually dangerous. We already know this, but overturning Roe is pouring salt in a wound, as the highest court asserts that we should not be in control of our own bodies. 

It reinforces a message about where we stand in this country. It attempts to denigrate us.

(Let me remind you, that 81% of our country believes in access to abortion. The people pushing these laws are not the majority!)  

Women as Sacrifice 

Maintaining that women’s worth and bodies are secondary to the life or pleasure of someone else is an undercurrent in overturning Roe and in a society that perpetuates sexual trauma.  

Overturning Roe makes a statement that women are valued less than everyone else, including unborn fetuses. Living in a society where sexual assault against women and girls is pervasive, asserts that our bodily integrity, mental health, and livelihood are less important than the pleasure and power of someone else. 

As of October 2024, five states have enacted abortion laws that do not include exceptions for the life of the mother (Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas). Beyond this, healthcare providers in other states with abortion bans are scared to treat pregnant women with the care they need. Denying abortion access is denying women healthcare. It puts their lives in danger for the sake of an unborn fetus. Sexual trauma puts our lives in danger for the sake of a man’s pleasure.  

Keeping Women Small 

I’m not sure there’s anything  more taxing on your time, body, resources, and energy than being a mother. (Other than, perhaps recovering from sexual assault).  I’m constantly thankful that I waited until my late 30s to have children because I have the emotional and financial resources to balance work, life, and motherhood in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to when I was younger. 

Forcing women to mother children that they aren’t equipped, ready, or wanting to keep women from being their most fulfilled and impactful selves. Forcing women into this position also forces them to spend their lives working to make ends meet to provide for those children. It keeps them subservient to those children instead of able to go for their career or other dreams. It keeps men in power.  

Sexual trauma, and the threat of it does too. The repercussions of surviving sexual assault often keeps women quiet, fearful, and doubting themselves. The ever present knowledge that men assault, rape, and harrass women is an undercurrent that runs through our society, and this knowledge has the power to keep women small and contained. 

What’s Next

Overturning Roe is absolutely not pro-life. It’s not about the health of a fetus or an infant, and obviously not about the health or well-being of women. Overturning Roe is about keeping women small, controlled, and subservient. 

Another Trump term will make reproductive freedom unrecognizable. Overturning Roe unlocks Trump’s power to increase federal and state legislation restricting abortion and access to women’s health care.  

The most powerful thing we can all do is VOTE. Just as predators in power can feel denigrating, advocates in power lift us up. A Harris/Walz presidency can help us move in the direction of promoting reproductive freedom, supporting women’s healthcare, and supporting survivors more generally. Let’s GO!