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Doctors told her parents to consider abortion. Now, she’s valedictorian.

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Doctors told her parents to consider abortion. Now, she’s valedictorian.

Nineteen years ago, while pregnant with her daughter, doctors advised Stacy Gearin Connor to have an abortion. They told her that the baby had multiple health problems, but Connor refused to terminate her baby girl.

During a check-up at 14 weeks pregnant, an ultrasound revealed the troubles that baby girl Presley was having.

“At that appointment, we were told that she had cysts on her brain that would cause serious mental challenges and would likely cause her to be unable to speak or see,” said Connor in a Facebook post. “We were also told that she had severe facial and skull deformities. Follow-up appointments with specialists confirmed these findings.”

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Connor saw specialists who confirmed the diagnoses and told her that she “could consider terminating the pregnancy or we could wait to see if the tests were incorrect.” Connor chose to carry her baby to term, no matter what.

“We chose to wait and pray,” she said. “and pray and wait.”

READ: Parents speak up: I was told to abort my baby

Presley was born completely healthy, and she shared her mother’s post on Facebook as well, saying, “My life was and is worth living! Despite complications in the womb, I am thankful for Christian parents that chose life and gave me the ability to be a testimony to others!”

 

Presley was recently named Valedictorian of Chester County’s Class of 2019. While her healthy birth was amazing news that likely stunned the doctors, what really matters is that her parents never gave up on her, even when the doctors offered little hope. Her parents saw the value in her life — regardless of whether she could speak or see, and whether or not she would have facial and skull deformities. They knew their daughter’s life had value and they weren’t willing to end her life out of fear.

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