Could you become a Victim 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, these women do not know who the biological father is.
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 woman who called our center. Laura attended a private party off campus. She thinks that she was probably dancing when the perpetrator laced her beer. She only had one drink and started feeling sick; then her memory became foggy.

“I started feeling drowsy, really dizzy and confused about where I was. I went to the party alone, which was my first mistake.”

Laura has no memory of what happened for the next eight hours. She woke up half-naked in a back room of the club with bruises on her thighs. She suspected that someone may have had sex with her, but couldn’t remember any 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. Six weeks later, she discovered that she was pregnant. Laura dropped out of college to have the baby and chose to have him adopted by a childless couple through our adoption center. “I needed to do something positive, and it wasn’t the child’s fault,” Laura said.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Date Rape” is one of the fastest-growing drug-facilitated sexual assault crimes in America today. A recent large study found that one in four college women reported being the victim of rape or attempted rape, and 84% of their assailants were boyfriends or acquaintances. Most victims remember nothing of the incident except the feeling of being violated. The same study found that one in four college men admitted to having used sexual aggression with women, and one in twelve admitted committing a sexual assault of some kind.

GHB, one of the most popular date-rape drugs, is sometimes added to punch or other open container drinks at fraternity parties, college functions and social gatherings. It is often given to female party goers in hopes of lowering their inhibitions and facilitating a potential sexual conquest for the assailant.

The victims of this crime who contact our center are of all backgrounds and ages. Many are still in some shock over being pregnant and have little to share about the “father” of their child.

Rohypnol, another common date-rape drug, is not legal in the US. It is produced and sold by prescription in Europe and Latin America, then smuggled into the United States.

About the Author: Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P. is the Founder of Lifetime Adoption (www.Lifetime.com). She is an adoptive parent, the author of AdoptingOnline.com and Adoption:Your Step-by-Step Guide, and radio talk show host of “Let’s Talk Adoption…with Mardie Caldwell” at www.LetsTalkAdoption.com. Mardie has written numerous articles on parenting, adoption, travel and finance. She and her husband have four children.