Letter to the Editor

Melis Jones

HCS Early College High School

2050 Hwy. 501

E. Conway, SC 29529

(843-349-7102)

Mjones1087@gmail.com

September 19, 2013

Editor in Cheif

The Sun News
P.O. Box 406
Myrtle Beach, SC 29578

Dear Editor,

A state should not have the right to force visitation rights to a rapist that impregnated a woman during a rape. Research shows that children with a father do better academic and behavior wise than those who don't have a father; however, a woman's dad, brother, or significant other can have the same or better impact on the child than a rapist.

Being raped can has numerous negative effects on a woman including mental disorders that can last 30 years or more. If a woman does not need help raising a child the state should not force it. Having the baby will constantly remind her of being raped. On top of that, she would have that man constantly in her life. She would never be able to get over the fact she was raped. If she ever wants to get over this, that man should not be in her life.

Sincerely,

Melis Jones

My Mural.ly

Narrative Poem

The perfect relationship?

Hurt, Scared, Lonely,

 Lost, Sad, embarrassed.

What had I just come across?

Laying blank on the cold hard ground

like a log in the woods,

I can't remember if I have done good.

Was this my fault?  or Was this his?

Who’s to blame, if he got away.

I can't think nor can I speak.

I can't move I can't get up.

Like an ant in a giant glass cup.

I could not understand why?

Why did he rape me?

I, Sarah lee, am only fourteen.

I came home not a sound out of my mouth.

My mom has asked where had I been.

I could not tell her, I could not.

What would she think?

No good has this child brought.

I continued to walk up the stairs 

that constantly croaked.

I lie in my bed and continuously wonder.

Why did he rape me?

I, Sarah lee am only 14.

The time had come for me to tell.

To tell my family what had happened.

We sit on the couch and watch TV

Until I appear as loud as I could be.

Tears rush down my face and fear fills the room.

I had said "He raped me"

“Who” they asked, “who”.

The one question that never

 seemed to be answered, who?

I didn't hesitate but to state, 

"mom, I need to go to the doctor, I am late"

Frustration fills the waiting room.

Frustration builds up as we sit and 

wait to here the good or bad news.

Here I see as white as can be a doctor

 in a cloak walking up with his note.

“Mrs. and Ms. Lee, I have no way to say,

But it has turned out to be.

It has turned out to be that 

she is 5 months pregnant.

All I keep thinking in my head.

Is that one question I have never said.

Why did he rape me?

I, Sarah Lee, am only 14.

4 months fly by and my baby is born.

What a joy she has brought to me.

How could such a horrible moment

 bring the best moment I have felt.

I sit at home with my beautiful Joan.

My beautiful Joan looks like a queen.

But she does remind me.

She reminds me of that man.

Than man who had raped me.

She reminded me of the one question 

I have yet to ask.

Why did he rape me?

I, Sarah Lee, had just turned fifteen.

Months have gone by, not a single minute wasted.

I get a call from the phone on the wall

 that would change us all.

It was him, the man who had raped me.

What did he want?

What possibly could it be?

I stand and wonder. I listen and think.

I finally understood and couldn't believe

 what I just heard.

This man; This preposterous man.

He is demanding visitation rights 

to my beautiful 5 month old Joan.

The state has forced this on me.

Why could this be?

HOW could this be?

How did he even find me?

I have agreed. I did indeed.

But why should I see

 the man who raped me?

He is sitting in the park playing

 with my beautiful Joan.

Joan is happier than I ever known.

Seeing her smile like that

 makes me want to smile back.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea?

Having him in her life could be a benefit.

To her of course but not to me.

It was then he approached me.

He had said “i am sorry for what 

I did and I have a right she is my baby.”

I replied “I know, I know. She is your baby.

But what you did will always be in my memory.”

He had walked off and played with Joan.

It was right then and there

I remembered.

It was a warm night. Maybe 73 degrees.

I was walking home for a friend 

who lived down the dead end

That dead end was closed so I had no choice,

but to go the way I didn't like.

The forest. I walk alone in the dark forest.

I heard a noise, but maybe I didn't.

It was then were he had asked 

"it's a little late to be out here.

In the woods and all. Who knows what can happen?"

I stopped and stared then he glared.

Who was this man?

Who was he?

He asked my name and where I live.

And from there his arm 

was on my shoulder.

I felt a breeze on my back.

What was he doing?

He had thrown me down.

Down onto the ground.

He held me down.

I couldn't move.

He said "I'm going to release you

 but if you run, you will regret it" .

I was scared.

I was afraid.

I promise I won't run away.

He striped me down.

My shirt went first, then my pants.

Why didn't I run away 

when I had the chance?

He had raped me.

Words can't describe how I felt. 

I had blanked out.

I couldn't think and I couldn't move.

I couldn't do anything.

Hurt, Scared, Lonely, Lost.

I lie on the cold ground.

He had raped me, but why me?

Now the state forces this man to be with me?

Exploratory Essay

Melis Jones

Ms. McKoy

English 2 Block 1

September 11, 2013

The Unwanted Relationship

            Imagine what you would do if you were raped.  If you became pregnant from that rape, what would you do if that man wanted visitation rights? This exact same issue is going on in Massachusetts. In 2009, 20 year old Jamie Melendez raped a 14-year-old girl and impregnated her.  Four years later, he is seeking visitation rights to that child since he is the baby’s father. The court ordered a 16 year long unwanted relationship. Doesn’t that sound absurd? Thirty-Two states have the right to give visitation rights to a rapist.(CNN) The state should not make this decision, it should be left up to the mother/victim of the rape. A man should not be able to have visitation rights without the permission of the woman. That lady would be stuck with an unwanted relationship between the man who caused the woman to suffer with pain and all the other effects that rape has on someone.

            Being raped can have a strong and negative effect on a woman’s life. According to the article “The Mental Health Impact of Rape” by Dean G. Kilpatrick, Ph. D,  3.8 million American females have had rape-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. This quote helps my topic because it proves that rape can have an effect on a lot of women. Rape is one of the highest causes for mental disorders. An article by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Records (RAINN) states that Rape has numerous effects on a woman. “Some effects include PTSD, sleep disorders, substance abuse, self-harm/injury eating disorders, Stockholm syndrome, body memories, depression, dissociative identity disorder, STD, suicide, pregnancy, and flashbacks.” Being raped causes all these problems alone and a lot more. If rape has this much effect, imagine the effect if that woman had to see the man who raped her on a regular base. The article by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Records (RAINN)  also talks about how the body specifically handles the rape. They say that it can have an effect on the woman’s self esteem because most people feel embarrassed, ashamed, dirty, and confused. The woman is worried that people will find out that they were raped, especially people outside the family. The article also states that it can have a big effect on their sexual lives especially if that was their first experience ever. The article, “The Mental Health Impact of Rape” by Dean G. Kilpatrick, Ph. D, states that most people will be too scared to ever get involved with a relationship that is that serious. The most important piece of information that I got out of the article “The Mental Health Impact of Rape” by Dean G. Kilpatrick, Ph. D, was that the effects can last over 20 years. With that statement, it supports why a rapist should not have visitation rights to a baby he produced during rape because if that woman has to see that man every day, she would have a harder time and longer time getting over the rape.

  Since my topic is so strongly debatable, I decided to get information on how not having a father can have an effect on a child’s life. An article “The importance of Fathers in Healthy Development of Children” by The Child Welfare Information Gateway says that “Fathers have a direct impact on the well-being of their children.” I feel that even though this can have a strong effect on the child, it would have a worse effect for the woman, and for that kid to grow up and know that he was the child of a rapist and that he was not even supposed to be born can emotionally damage them. There are alternatives to the rapist not being his father. The lady’s dad, brother, boyfriend, or significant other can have almost the same effect on the child than having a biological father around the house. This same article said that having a good relationship with husband and wife will positively impact the behavior, but if the mom and dad are not having a good relationship with each other there would be no point in even having a relationship in trying to make the child a better person. It would instead make them a worse person because children grow up and learn based on what their parents taught them when they were little and what they saw growing up as a kid.  

            I would like to learn more on the effects of rape have on the woman by going into each disorder/effect that rape has on a woman to support my thesis, If a lady is impregnated during rape, should the man get visitation rights to see the baby? Even if that baby is his child, no woman should have to go through the struggle of having an unwanted relationship with the man who raped her. The state should not have a right either to force a man on a woman without her opinion. The woman would most likely still be having going through the effects on the rape, and giving the right of visitation would only make it worse than it needs to be.

Works Cited

Rosenberg, Jeffery, and Bradford W. Wilcox. "The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Developement of Children." Child Welfare. N.p., 2006. Web. 28 Aug. 2013. <www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/chaptertwo.cfm>.

"Effects of Sexual Assult." Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2013. <http://www.rainn.org/get-information/effects-of-sexual-assult>.

Kilpatrick, Dean G., Ph.D. "The Mental Health Impact of Rape." Medical University of South Carolina. N.p., 2000. Web. 28 Aug. 2013. <http://www.musc.edu/vawprevention/research/mentalimpact.shtml.>.