As many as two powerhouse musical talents could have never been, had abortion determined their fates: Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.
Known for such classic ’90s hits as “All By Myself,” “Power of Love,” and the Academy Award-winning “My Heart Will Go On” for James Cameron’s “Titanic,” Celine Dion’s rich vocal talents have made her an international superstar. However, upon her conception in 1967, Dion, like all of us once were, was a defenseless unborn child developing in her mother’s womb. Like all of us, her life could have ended before it even began had her mother rejected the advice of a priest, who told her abortion was out of the question and contrary to nature.
By 1967, Dion’s mother, Thérèse Tanguay Dion, had already raised 13 children, sacrificing every day of her life in service of their well-being. Upon learning that she would have yet another child, whom we know today as Celine Dion, Thérèse doubted whether or not she could handle the challenge. In an interview with the London celebrity magazine Hello! in 2001, Dion spoke about how her mother considered an abortion and then immediately rejected that non-option after speaking with a priest.
“My mother had already brought up 13 children,” said Dion. “For more than 20 years, she’d been locked into a hellish cycle of washing, ironing, and housework, 365 days a year. She thought, rightly, that she’d done her duty. The two little ones, twins Paul and Pauline, were about to go to school and at last she’d have some time to herself. At last she’d be able to go out, perhaps go travelling with my father and revisit the area where they were both brought up. Then suddenly she was pregnant again. She was so shattered she went to see the parish priest to see if she could do something about it.”
When Thérèse Tanguay Dion met with her parish priest, he reiterated the teaching of the Catholic Church that abortion was contrary to nature and God’s plan. “He told her that she had no right to go against nature. So I have to admit that in a way, I owe my life to that priest,” Celine Dion said.
“Once she got over her disappointment that an abortion was out of the question,” added Dion, “she loved me as passionately as she’d loved the last little ones.”
Celine Dion has often referred to her mother as “the star” of her family, whose love inspired her to be both a dedicated mom and loving wife. She married only one man, her manager René Angélil, and remained with him throughout all 22 years of marriage until his death in 2016. They had three children together.
In 2012, Dion told People magazine: “My success is my family. My life is to be a mom. It is what I enjoy the most. It is my most amazing reward. I will take a chance with my music. I don’t take risks with my family.”
These stories are immensely important, not because Celine Dion’s life has more value than any other, but because one life could mean the difference between a legacy forged by the blissful melody of an angelic voice or the dead silence of a vacuous space. She and Andrea Bocelli demonstrate that beyond any doubt.
Celine Dion has once again provided her vocal talents to a popular feature film; you can hear her original song “Ashes” this weekend at any local showing of “Deadpool 2”. Or you can just watch the hilarious music video on Youtube: