WATCH: Pregnant from rape at age 11, my mother rejected abortion
Live Action has released a video featuring the powerful story of Kathy Barnette, an author and television/radio commentator, who learned as a young woman that she had been conceived in rape. Barnette’s heart broke when she saw her birth certificate and learned that her mother, who raised her, had been only 11 years old when she was raped by a 21-year-old man.
Barnette’s mother says in the video that her family supported her through her pregnancy. “My mother said, you’re pregnant, so we’re gonna get through this, and she helped me get through it…. I didn’t have a choice to say… I’m going to abort you. That wasn’t a choice for me, and I thank God it wasn’t a choice for me.”
Barnette says, “As a child, I knew no different. I was loved, and I felt loved. It gave me a greater appreciation for my mother. It helped me to forgive a lot of the mistakes someone at that age, having gone through such trauma, would have made in their own parenting. But it definitely made me become very adamant about the sanctity of life, of all life, regardless of their conception…. My life has purpose.”
“Before the foundation of the world, God saw me and He decided that I would be…. When I was in my mother’s womb, He was knitting me together…. An exception to the rule of being pro-life, for many, is in the case of rape. And yet, my life has value. From me has come two very beautiful and charming and smart kids. Married to a wonderful husband, we’ve made a life for ourselves, and none of this would have happened if the exception to the rule had applied.”
Barnette’s mother says, “Regardless of… how the child was conceived, that child deserves a chance. And if I had made that choice, where would I be right now without my daughter?”
“The trauma has already been inflicted…. Aborting me would not have eased a trauma that my mother suffered. Aborting me would not have allowed me to be in a place today where I can now take care of my mother,” Barnette says.
Barnette’s mother adds, “Regardless of how my life started out, I’m blessed.”
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Human Interest
