Right To Life

Conceived In Rape... A Story Of HopeHere is a story that touched my heart and I hope it touches yours.Having been adopted as a baby, I didn't know very much about my birth mother. At age 18 I requested my "non-identifying information" and learned a serial rapist had raped her at knifepoint. This was how I was conceived. I remember feeling ugly and unwanted, and wondered, "Who would ever love me?" Growing up, I never really thought abortion applied to my life, but then in one moment, it not only applied to my life, it had to do with my very existence. I heard the echoes of all those people who would say: "Well, except in cases of rape...." or "Especially in cases of rape...." I realized they were talking about me - about my life - and I felt as if I was going to have to justify my own existence and prove to the world that I shouldn't have been aborted. I thought of my birth mother, but negative images would bonbard my mind: "She must hate me. She's never going to want to meet me. She probably wanted to abort me." But somehow I determined that, if I could just meet her and hear that she didn't want to abort me, then I could feel good about myself, I could feel safe, and I wouldn't have to feel as if I was still a target. At 19, after a judge appointed a confidential intermediary, I finally heard from my birth mother. She was thrilled at the prospect of meeting me, writing the following:My Dearest Rebecca, Hoping by now that the shock of finding out all the details of your birth is forgotten. For that was not reason enough to give something up as beautiful as you were - nothing as precious as a baby: I carried you for nine months and went through the birth feeling no one loved me, but I experienced love seeing you were so perfect and pretty. All these years I had nothing of you, no picture, nothing even saying you were part of me. Just the memory of carrying a baby that I hoped one day would try to find her real mother as I wanted to know my baby. I always loved you in my heart. You were always with me in my thoughts mostly in July....It seems like a lifetime, I know. When I was sick two years ago I thought I would never get to know my little girl.... It's been a long three weeks. Looking forward to our meeting. I did 't know how to express my inner feelings. IT'S SO GREAT - IT'S ALWAYS BEEN MY DREAM. I AM SO HAPPY, I AM CRYING!A love that ate at me for nineteen years, my daughter at last.With love, your Mom, JoannI felt great joy and relief that she wanted ne - until I asked her about abortion. She maintained for the first six years of my knowing her that she would have aborted me had it been legal when I was conceived in October 1968. She later revealed she had actually gone to two back-alley abortionists, and that I was almost aborted. The first had the typical back alley conditions you hear about as to why she should have been able to "safely and legally" abort me. Those conditions, and the fact that it was illegal, caused her to back out. For the second abortionist, she was scheduled to meet someone at night by the Detroit Institute of Art. Someone would approach her, say her name, blindfold her, put her in the back seat of a car, take her and abotr me, blindfold her again, and drop her back off. She was still afraid for her own safety, but she was prepared to go through with it. The day she was to abort me, my aunt was going to drive her. That's when she says one of the worst snowstorms of the century fell on the Detroit area. It snowed for days and days and the roads were blocked for weeks. That was it. She thought she was too far along to go through with it. I just barely made it. The trial date in Roe v. Wade was on my first birth date, and the U.S. Supreme Court decision was exactly three and a half years to my birth date (July 22, 1969/January 22, 1973.) I'm so grateful my life was spared! As a family law attorney, I've had the privilege of providing free legal representation to women who were being coerced into aborting, and I even had four abortion-related cases that made national news. Today I am a stay-at-home mom of our adopted son. I'm honored that God has used my life in value is not based on how I was conceived, who raised me, what other people think of my life, or even what I do with my life. I'm not a child of rape, but a child of God, and I have value because God created me and wanted me here. If you ask my birth mother today, she will say that I am a blessing to her. If only everyone would realize the truth that ever child is a gift!! Then when they hear of a situation such as mine instead of saying, "Oh how awful! You mean to tell me this woman was reped and was actually forced to carry that baby?" - people could say, "You mean to tell me that God rewarded this woman with the gift of this child's life for the suffering she endured? How good is God!" By Rebecca Kiessling