My story is unique in that it has two beginnings. I was born on June 6, 1980, in Ashland, Oregon. A young lady, probably a student at a nearby university, learned that she was pregnant. Medical records tell me that she discovered her pregnancy in May of that year, not even a month before I was born. She may have been alone, scared, and unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, in a small coastal town a few hours away, a young couple had hopes and dreams of starting a family of their own. After years of unsuccessful attempts, they turned to adoption agencies to increase their chances of starting a family.
The young couple was turned down twice. Heartbroken and exhausted, they gave up hope of having a child of their own. A neighbor across the street, knowing their heartache, ran over one day in the driveway to give them the name of an adoption agent in town “who had babies.” Grief-stricken, the young wife stated, “I can’t do this anymore.” A few weeks later, she had a change of heart and decided to contact the adoption agent. Soon, the agent heard of a new baby up for adoption, one who was born early. The agent raised her hand and told her team, “This one is mine.” Not long after this, the young couple was connected with a little baby girl who had entered the world early and was placed in a large hospital in Medford, Oregon.
This is the part of the story that is hard to read, but I believe it was all part of God’s plan. The young woman in the first paragraph had come to the decision, one way or another, that her only way to deal with an unwanted pregnancy was to end it. As a result of an attempted abortion procedure, I was born… alive. It is unknown whether the young woman thought she was early in her pregnancy or if the doctor at the clinic believed so, but either way, I survived. I was born anywhere from 28 to 30 weeks gestation. I was a viable birth. I am a person, an individual with my own thoughts and feelings. I don’t know what that young woman was told by those around her or what she was told when she entered that clinic, but I do know this—I am so much more than “just a clump of cells.”
On July 9, 1980, I was given to Nancy and Richard, the young couple who had wished and hoped for a child of their own. My parents were nervous, frightened, but overjoyed to bring their precious new baby home. They adopted me soon after this date and became my number one advocates and supporters, and they continue to be some of my biggest fans today. An added blessing to my beginnings is that two years after adopting me, my parents found out that they were pregnant and were going to have another baby—my sister, Katie.
Four days of extreme rain and landslides in the Indonesian island of Sumatra have pushed the world’s most endangered great apes even closer to extinction, says a study.…
This moment in history is not meaningless, it is merciful. Every sunrise is another opportunity for salvation and surrender. “ And this gospel of the kingdom will be…
Deterrents, deer hunting or trapping, and even deer birth control are among the options city officials are considering to lower the deer population in Beverly Hills. “First and…
Five Mexican police officers were shot dead and five others wounded Wednesday in violence-hit Michoacan state on the eve of the World Cup opener in Mexico City, local…
Convicted killer Karmelo Anthony’s family used fundraiser money for moving and living expenses. Karmelo Anthony will serve his sentence while it appears the fundraising campaign for his family…
The world’s largest whale graveyard has been discovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean by Chinese scientists, who found that the vast expanse of both new and…
Tularemia has been detected in Northern Colorado after a dead rabbit was discovered in a Berthoud neighborhood. According to Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, the bacteria…
Multiple high-end cars participating in the 2026 Hot Rod Power Tour were damaged, and some were stolen from a hotel parking lot in Joliet, Illinois, early Tuesday. Police…
Last October, Pennsylvania announced plans to bring “glamping,” or luxury camping, to several state parks, including Laurel Hill State Park in Somerset County. But now, some of those…
One must wonder whether President Trump’s least discriminating critics have ever read the fable of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” — or at least whether, if they have, they…
For the second time this year, public health staff said a bird in Ventura County tested positive for West Nile virus. The Ventura County Environmental Health Division announced…
While condemning a “bad actors” causing trouble, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the vast majority of protestors in Belfast have rational concerns and want common-sense change the…
Individuals were exposed to a fox that tested positive for rabies in Baltimore’s Roland Park on Tuesday, according to City Health Department officials. Two foxes tested positive, and…
A Manhattan public school is treating parents and teachers as “separate” but equal. The P.S. 003 Charrette School in the West Village is hosting a workshop for parents…
If you’ve noticed fewer mosquitoes so far this year, you’re not imagining it. “Boring year so far,” said Alex Carlson, public affairs manager with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control…
Pip: If you have ever wondered whether your brain and your soul could both use the same workout, Drink of Jesus may have found the overlap. Mara: This…
“My story began in the pre-Roe v. Wade era of 1962. As the youngest of seven children in a large, financially struggling family, my conception came at a particularly challenging time for my parents. With the assistance of her OBGYN, my mother attempted to end her pregnancy. Miraculously, I survived the abortion attempt, even after being exposed to 18 methotrexate pills and three days of saline injections.“
What Michele wants you to know: Seeing the pain, shame, and guilt my mom suffered through her two abortion attempts shows the trauma of abortion. Only for the babies who suffer in the womb, but for the women who endure the abuse of those who have reduced the life of a baby to just a procedure. A procedure that will not remove pain or difficulty from a woman’s life, but will only worsen it as they seek forgiveness from the pain of an abortion. I am here to tell you that, as painful and wrong as it is to take the life of your own child, there is complete freedom and forgiveness for anyone who has been down this road.
There is no condemnation or judgment from your loving Heavenly Father. He longs for you to come to Him and share your pain. After all, He already knows everything about it and is just waiting, longing, for you to let His love heal your heart. Please don’t run from Him; run to Him and to those of us who are here with open arms, ready to help you heal.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13
WASHINGTON — Congress has finally passed a $70 billion funding bill for federal immigration enforcement on Tuesday, putting to rest a four-month fight over the fate of President Trump’s…
A Collin County jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf during a Frisco ISD track meet, bringing an end to a closely…
Washington — The Senate on Friday blocked an extension of a key warrantless surveillance program used by U.S. intelligence agencies, meaning Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act…
Washington — House Democrats, with the help of several Republicans, bypassed GOP leadership on Tuesday to force a successful vote on legislation that would accelerate negotiations on newly-formed unions’…
Johannesburg — More than 10 suspects got out of a minibus and moved through a poor neighborhood near South Africa’s biggest city while shooting at residents in a late-night…
A man was arrested in San Jose for multiple sexual batteries of women, and investigators believe there may be more victims, police said. In a press release Tuesday, the…
A high school classroom aide was arrested in San Jose last week after he allegedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with two underage female students. One week before the arrest,…
Law enforcement officers arrested a man in south Minneapolis Tuesday evening following an hourslong standoff. The deputies were attempting to serve an arrest warrant for 31-year-old Tyler Joseph O’Brien…
Nearly 90 people were arrested after dozens of sports cars were towed from the Los Angeles River in the Cypress Park neighborhood on Sunday evening. LAPD officers said that…
Director Steven Spielberg suggested during a Sunday interview that his new film about extraterrestrials might raise theological questions among some Christians regarding the nature of the cosmos. Speaking with…
The FBI is investigating a cybersecurity at Evanston Township High School that has closed down the whole campus Monday morning. A ransomware attack is hitting the district’s phone lines,…
Lyon Township residents filled the planning commission meeting Monday evening, for another long night of fiery public comment, as many continue to fight a proposed data center. “I moved…
The EPA under the Biden Administration crafted a cap-and-trade scheme to allocate market share in the multibillion-dollar hydrofluorocarbons industry — including to “new market participants” based on the promotion…
Flooding could impact more than 88 million people across the middle of the country this week, forecasts show, as severe weather threatens multiple U.S. states in the Midwest and…
A young coyote in Arizona is getting a second chance after surviving what wildlife experts described as one of the worst cactus encounters they have ever seen. The tiny…
Everyone knows the old adage about dogs being man’s best friend, but you may not know that dogs might also be one of man’s best hopes to treat age-related…
For the past 26 years, one remarkable owl in British Columbia has been quietly helping raise hundreds of orphaned babies and giving them a second chance at life in…
Authorities are investigating what caused a deadly fire in central Minnesota early Sunday morning. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office says it received multiple reports of a large fire in…
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook part of the southern Philippines early Monday, causing damage in a key coastal city, knocking down power and sparking a tsunami warning on some…
You must be logged in to post a comment.