Many obstetricians have stated that there are no maternal conditions that require abortion to save the mother. I worked in the OB field for over 35 years, and never witnessed (or heard of) a mother's death due to the lack of an abortion. Some babies born extremely early due to the mother's health did not survive, but their survival was always the goal.

Although pregnancy after rape is less common and a true tragedy for the mother, abortion tends to make the rest of us feel better, as it removes the constant reminder of the rape, which may diminish the love and care that the victim needs to recover. Of course, each victim's response to the pregnancy is individual. Some women are happy with the choice to carry the pregnancy. After all, the child's DNA is from the mother as well as the rapist father. How the victim views the pregnancy may depend upon the messages, love and support (or lack thereof) that she receives.