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ated by ideological and professional leanings and interests. Although<br />
some philosophers (Davis 1984) do not think it is so serious an offence<br />
as to attract the stiff penalties that some American states prescribe, the<br />
best answer would be that the severity, and its immediate and long-term<br />
effects could be context specific. 1 For post-menarche victims, rape can<br />
result in unwanted pregnancies leading to unsafe unorthodox abortion<br />
for a traumatised young woman seeking to obliterate sad memories and<br />
avoid the stigma associated with being a rape victim.<br />
Unsafe abortion, a common phenomenon in African countries, has a<br />
whole gamut of unwholesome outcomes. And though evidence of rape<br />
is sufficient to qualify for legal abortion by a qualified medical practitioner,<br />
young rape victims who subsequently become pregnant are unlikely<br />
to avail themselves of this opportunity because of the relatively<br />
high costs, as well as ignorance of the law. 2 Wayside abortion, use of<br />
local recipes involving cocktail of harmful substances or forceful termination<br />
of the condition can lead to death and permanent impairment<br />
of the reproductive facility. As rape is associated with unprotected sex,<br />
exposure to HIV infection and STDs is enhanced. Rape and sexual defilement<br />
therefore have wider implications for reproductive health and<br />
family planning, as Moore et al. (2007) remarked. 3 Studies in fact link<br />
earlier sexual abuse to risk-taking behaviours, including other nonconsensual<br />
sexual experiences, multiple partnerships and unprotected sex<br />
later on in life (Varga: 2001). Thus rape in certain circumstances, such<br />
as what prevails in parts of Africa, can be bad indeed.<br />
However, some scholars commenting on the penalties that such offenses,<br />
particularly rape, attract in some countries with such stringent<br />
penalties have argued that the level of severity is exaggerated and not<br />
only lacks a basis but also make it difficult to secure convictions against<br />
rapists since judges and jurists would then insist on incontrovertible<br />
1<br />
Long after the event, when a female victim has seemed to set aside the bad memories,<br />
reminders can come from her child asking about his or her parentage and feeling<br />
resentful and aggrieved that he or she was not the product of a recognized union.<br />
This should show that the victim is not exclusively the raped teenager, and that rape<br />
can be like a scar.<br />
2<br />
Sedgh (2010) has an explanation of the law on abortion.<br />
3<br />
One need not remark that rape lacks the victim’s consent, is often unplanned and<br />
hurried. Thus contraceptive devices are often out of question, especially for young<br />
female victims. Poor knowledge of reproductive health may not therefore be the only<br />
factor in the low use of contraception among youth, contrary to the accepted view<br />
referred to by Okereke (2010).<br />
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