Rebecca Kiessling founded her organization Save The 1 to help society recognize that every child’s life is valuable even if they were conceived in rape.
Her life began that way and her mother almost aborted her twice, but Kiessling survived.
“It’s good to be alive,” she told Christian Life Daily in a recent interview. “But I know there’s nothing extra special about me that makes me more worthy of life than others – so we all must continue fighting so others have the same opportunity at life as I did. We must fight to save the one.”
An attorney, mother and pro-life advocate, Kiessling speaks all across the world about protecting unborn babies from abortion without exception. She said she also speaks to lawmakers and even presidential candidates, urging them to recognize that pro-life laws should protect unborn babies in all cases, including rape.
“My birth mother was abducted at knife-point by a serial rapist and sought to abort me through two illegal abortions in a back alley four years before Roe v. Wade became law,” she told Christian Life Daily. “Because I was conceived in rape, I was targeted for abortion. But although she wanted to abort me, thankfully Michigan law protected me and my life.”
Kiessling was adopted by Jewish atheist parents, but she eventually became a Christian. She said her organization’s name, Save The 1, is based on the parable Jesus told about the lost sheep.
Follow LifeNews.com on Instagram for pro-life pictures and videos.
“… when I learned how I was conceived I wanted to defend my own life, and once I became a Christian, it changed and went even deeper, and now I feel a calling to go back and save others,” she continued. “I feel like my life was rescued from a burning building, and now I’m going back to save others.”
One of her biggest challenges now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned is urging lawmakers to reject rape exceptions in abortion bans.
“A whole bunch of states passed abortion bans … but still want rape exceptions,” Kiessling told the ministry. “I’m also working with legislators on messaging, as many legislators tell me they know what is morally right, but feel like it is politically ‘indefensible’ to have a ‘no exceptions’ stance in pro-life legislation, so they end up caving to the pressure.”
Even though Roe is gone, Kiessling said there always will be a need to defend unborn babies’ right to life.
“We still have a large majority of states in America who have legal abortions, and prior to Roe v. Wade, many of those states did not have such laws,” she said. “But in fact, child sacrifice has been going on since the days of antiquity, and this battle of life vs death will continue forever on earth.”
Still, Kiessling said she has made progress, including with two presidential candidates who changed their minds about rape exceptions after sharing her story. She did not name them.
“ … after I spoke with them and shared my testimony their hearts changed – so it can be done!” she said.
