A pastor in England faced a hearing in court in which he is accused of keeping a woman as a sex slave and forcing her to have an abortion. While abortion is legalized in many nations under the auspices of a “right to choose,” the reality is that a large percentage of women who get abortions are forced, pressured or coerced into getting them.
In this case, Gilbert Deya, 61, who runs a ministry outfit named after himself, is charged with four counts of rape, one of attempted rape, two of sexual assault and one of battery. His church reportedly has a membership in England of 36,000 people. The woman Deya apparently victimized is, like himself, originally from Arica and was reportedly sexually abused for eight years.
“She came under Deya’s influence when she was convinced by her friends he was the only man who could cure voices in her head that were preventing her from sleeping, the court has been told,” the London Daily Mail newspaper reports. “But he kept the woman as a sex slave in a small room at one of his churches – forcing her to have an abortion when she became pregnant, it is alleged.”
“The court has heard that the first rape happened in late 2006 or early 2007 when Deya may have drugged the victim’s cup of tea before attacking her,” the report added. “The preacher, of Peckham, later sexually assaulted her daughter by groping her breasts, the court was told. He denies all charges.”
The Elliot Institute, an Illinois-based organization that researches abortion’s impact on women, finds as many as 64 percent of women say they have felt pressure to have an abortion. That pressure, the group finds, most likely comes from spouse or partner but cal also come from a woman’s parents, friends, or employer.
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Elliot Institute director David Reardon, co-authored a Medical Science Monitor study of American and Russian women with the 64 percent figure.
“In many of the cases documented for our ‘Forced Abortion in America’ report, police and witnesses reported that acts of violence and murder took place after the woman refused to abort or because the attacker didn’t want the pregnancy,” he said in a statement LifeNews.com received.
“Even if a woman isn’t physically threatened, she often faces intense pressure, abandonment, lack of support, or emotional blackmail if she doesn’t abort. While abortion is often described as a ‘choice,’ women who’ve been there tell a very different story,” he added.
Reardon said the report underscores the need for legislation requiring abortion businesses and health care providers to screen women for evidence of coercion or pressure to have an abortion before the actual abortion is done. He says they should direct such women to people and resources that can help them instead of following through on the coerced abortion.
“Too often, abortion clinics and others simply assume that if a woman is coming for an abortion, it is her free choice,” he said.
“This ‘no questions asked’ policy is especially harmful to those in abusive situations, including young girls who are victims of sexual predators. Women should not be forced into unwanted abortions and subjected to violence or pressure from others,” Reardon added.
