The Reality of the Date Rape Drug


Each month more than ten women of all ages and backgrounds contact our Adoption Center with the same experience; they have been victims of a date rape drug and are now pregnant. Most of the time, they do not know who is the biological father. For example, just after spring or winter break is a time when we see a peak in pregnancy. For many of these women a date rape drug was involved.

The U.S. Census suggests that annually, there may be over thirty-two thousand victims of rape-related pregnancies among American women over the age of 18. The adult pregnancy rate associated with rape is estimated to be 4.7%.

Several college-aged women have reported waking up in frat houses or apartments with no clothing on; finding themselves in strange surroundings with unknown people, or having actually been sexually assaulted while under the influence of a date rape drug.

Just recently our 18-year-old daughter shared her plans to celebrate her graduation with some girl friends in Cancun. Concerned with their safety and still wanting them to enjoy themselves, this prompted me to ask her, “Do you and your friends know what rape drugs are and how they are used?” She had heard very little on the topic. I didn’t find this surprising, as most of the women that call our center don’t know either and wish someone had shared the following information with them.

Rohypnol is becoming the drug of choice for would-be rapists. Most predators target unsuspecting victims by slipping these illicit drugs into beverages at parties, bars, nightclubs and dances. Rape drugs have the power to make one drink feel like six or more.

Laura, a sophomore from Florida, was one such call to our center. Laura, who attended a private party off campus, recalls she was dancing when the perpetrator probably laced her beer. She only had one drink and started feeling kind of sick; then her memory became foggy.

“ I started feeling drowsy, really dizzy and confused about where I was. My roommate was going to come with me to the party but at the last minute she made other plans. I decided to go alone, which was my first mistake.”

Laura has no memory of what happened for the next eight hours.

Laura woke up in a back room in the club with bruises on her thighs and half-naked. She suspected that someone may have had sex with her, but couldn’t remember who the person was or any other details. She was hung over for days afterward.

Laura blocked the whole incident from her mind and allowed a numbness to take over. Her grades fell and she found her mind wandering in class. These reactions are not uncommon for women who have been raped, and can be used as a defense mechanism against being overwhelmed with feelings or losing control. Other women may become anxious or depressed.

In Laura’s case she discovered six weeks later she was pregnant. She dropped out of college to have the baby and chose to have him adopted by a childless couple through our adoption center.

“ It was the only way I could make something good out of something so bad. I needed to do something positive and it wasn’t the child’s fault,” Laura said.

Laura recalls when she first found out, how angry and scared she was. “I wouldn’t have sex with a guy I didn’t know. I have always been so careful of what I do and who I date. I was just so mad at myself for not being more careful. I didn’t know if I had contracted a disease or HIV. It was very scary and embarrassing.”

Toni was a 19-year-old victim of a date rape drug in her freshman year in San Diego. During Spring Break she was assaulted at a party by a friend she met in a class and had known for almost a year. She kept saying, “I considered him one of my best friends. He acted like he would protect me. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it actually happened to me.

“ My body was violated. My trust in him as a friend has been shaken and I feel betrayed... I keep saying to myself, ‘I know him, and he's not a terrible person - so it must have been something I said to him or something I did that got me into this mess.’ I don’t remember and I keep trying to remember what I did, or said - what happened that night- my own judgment has been compromised!

“ I just couldn’t go through with an abortion after what happened. As hard as the pregnancy was for me, I have always believed there are no mistakes in life and that this baby didn’t cause this and should not be the one that suffers. I had done the suffering already; abortion wasn’t the answer to my problem. It took some time, but I chose a family that I knew would love this child no matter what. Even after all I had been through, something good came out of it. It was not what I dreamed of when starting college, but I have never regretted giving birth and giving her life. I still have trouble trusting people, but I am working on it.”

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