BOOM: ‘I Was Conceived By Rape But I’m Here For A Reason’ – Miss Pennsylvania

Valerie Gatto, also known as Miss Pennsylvania, just competed in the Miss USA pageant this past Sunday night. In an interview with TODAY.com, she opens up about being conceived in rape but having a God-given purpose nonetheless.  According to The Daily Signal:

Gatto’s mother originally hid the pregnancy from her family and intended on putting her up for adoption, but was dissuaded the night Gatto was born.

“Valerie’s mom told her family about her adoption plans,” Gatto’s biography reads. “But Valerie’s great-grandmother said – God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. Her mother listened and decided to raise Valerie with the help of God and her family.”

…

“I believe God put me here for a reason,” Gatto told TODAY.com. “To inspire people, to encourage them, to give them hope that everything is possible and you can’t let your circumstances define your life.”

There is a lot of controversy surrounding abortion in the case of rape, even among people who say that they hold views that are against abortion.

When we see stories like this, of people like Natalie Gatto who were conceived in rape, it makes you wonder about who else might have made a difference in our world yet was not given the same chance at life.

Gatto’s mother was an extremely courageous woman to make a decision to carry her baby to term. It is one amazing feat to rise above the trauma of rape and move on with life, but it is a heroic thing in itself to rise above that trauma along with the new challenge of becoming a single mother.

In choosing to give life to Valerie, she now has a daughter that has a major platform through her accomplishments in pageantry to speak out about sexual assault and to help other women.

Valerie Gatto proves the point that each life has value, despite the circumstances surrounding the conception of that life.