When my daughter Jeanette was only four years old, she looked up at me and said, “Mommy, thank you for giving me my life.”

Those words have echoed in my heart ever since. They marked the beginning of a journey that taught me the profound truth I hold today: We must choose life under all circumstances, because life is worth fighting for.

At 12 years old, after moving from Mexico City to Los Angeles, my world shattered. I was kidnapped by two men, repeatedly raped, and left for dead.

No one is ever prepared for that to happen.

When I finally made it out and home, I was severely depressed. My family had no idea how to help and offered little compassion. I was told that my life was ruined, that no one would ever want me, and that everything was destroyed. At such a young age, hearing those things left me with nowhere to turn.

I felt utterly alone. Nightmares haunted me. I couldn’t sleep. In desperation, I took all the pills I could find, hoping to end the pain. I woke up in a hospital, where doctors informed me I was pregnant.

Since many people consider this one of the “exceptions” where abortion seems justifiable, the doctor told me not to worry. He said abortion was legal, and I could have one. But at that moment, questions flooded my mind: Would abortion take away my nightmares? Would it erase my fear of going outside? Would it heal the abuse or undo what had been done to me?

He answered no to every question. Abortion would do none of those things. So why was that the only option offered? I needed real help — like psychological support, medical care, and legal assistance — but none were offered. The only solution presented to me was to kill my child.

The doctor performed a sonogram, and I asked if I could hear the heartbeat. When that tiny sound reached me, hope stirred in my heart for the first time. I realized I wasn’t going to be alone anymore. This child was mine; my DNA, my blood, growing inside of me.

I refused to give my baby the death penalty for a crime she didn’t commit.

To this day, those two men who hurt me have never faced trial. It took many years, but I eventually prayed for them. Forgiveness came slowly, but it came.

Raising a child at 12 was incredibly hard. I grew up amid domestic violence and my father’s alcoholism. No one is truly prepared to parent at any age, but my daughter became the light in my darkness. She gave me the courage to stand up, find work, and strive to be better.

Although people judged me because I was a young girl already with a baby, I didn’t care. She loved me more than anyone ever had. Through her love, my heart began to heal. She was the reason I got up every morning, worked, and pushed forward. I emancipated myself, lived on my own with her, and we grew up together.

Jeanette went to college and graduated. She founded a nonprofit to support girls facing depression, discrimination, and teenage single-motherhood. She provided diapers and baby clothes — anything a struggling mother needs because she knew what I had lacked. She would say, “Look at me, Mom. I’m normal.” She was kind and compassionate, and she believed her purpose was to help others.

Tragically, my daughter passed away a few years ago. The pain still breaks my heart. She was no second-class citizen. She deserved every bit of respect and dignity as anyone else. Her conception came from violence, but that never defined her. She shaped the woman I am today.

Abortion doesn’t undo rape. It inflicts double trauma, a second violation you will never forget. If I had chosen abortion, I wouldn’t be here. I would have ended up dead, on drugs, or lost entirely. Instead, Jeanette helped me become a better person. She reminded me that love is always stronger than violence.

When people say a child conceived in rape will only remind the mother of her trauma forever, I say yes, she is a reminder. But she is a reminder that life triumphs over brutality, that hope can rise from ashes.

We must make abortion unthinkable, even in the hardest cases. We need more programs: legal aid, psychological support, safe housing, and protection for girls abused in their own homes. Remove them from danger and protect the child, because it’s never the child’s fault.

No woman should be violated as I was. But if you ask what was worse, the rape or losing my daughter, the answer is clear: losing her was the worst pain I’ve ever known. She gave me hope, love, and purpose. I am grateful for every day we shared.

When Jeanette was four years old, she thanked me for giving her life. But in truth, it was my daughter I should have thanked instead. She gave me my life back.

Life is worth fighting for. Every life, no matter how it is conceived. One single life saved changes the world.

***

Lianna Rebolledo is an inspirational speaker, journalist, and counselor who founded Loving Life. She works closely with Live Action to share her powerful story globally.

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Being Pro-life Can Turn The Cruelest Circumstances Into Hope And Love