I was conceived in 1974, in a little town called Newbury, in England. Abortion became legal in the UK in 1967, but it wasn’t as acceptable or as accessible as it is now.
When my mum fell pregnant with me, she already had four other children to look after, and she was married to my dad who had schizophrenia. He was extremely physically and mentally abusive to her, beating her often — once was with a chain.
They were struggling financially and my mum really didn’t want to bring me into the world, so she tried to force herself to miscarry with a hot bath and alcohol, but obviously it didn’t work.
I am quite sure that if abortion had been as accessible then as it is now, I wouldn’t be here to share this story.
My mum is the one who confessed to me that she had tried to abort me. I don’t know why she told me — I never thought to ask because I knew she loved me and she did her best by us. Of course, she made mistakes — some huge ones, but growing up, I saw my mom as a strong woman who found herself in a difficult situation.
My dad took his own life when I was 18 months old. Then my mum had a partner after him who was a horrible bully to us, but she loved him. They split when I was 8 years old and I was overjoyed. My mum and I had a great relationship.
I did struggle with issues of self worth, but I think that was more to do with feeling abandoned by my dad, which is crazy I know. I found my faith when my mum died. I was a single parent myself with an eight month old baby. My mum was my rock, my foundation, my breath. I was heartbroken.
I had dabbled with party drugs before that, but then I met a guy a few months
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| Kerry Ann Beckley, 2nd from the right |
after I lost my mum, and I was doing all kinds of drugs at that point. My life felt like fun, but I was an emotional mess. My friend invited me to church one day and I liked it. I didn’t feel judged by anyone there. I love to sing, so I always enjoyed the music worship — I still do! I went on to take an Alpha course — learning the basics of who Christ is — and I found my faith. At first, I wanted to ensure my ticket to Heaven so I would see my mum again, but then finding out what Jesus had done for me and that he would mend my brokenness, was just so attractive!
My relationship with Christ has taught me that I have value and purpose, because He laid down His life for me, so that I could be all that He wants me to be. I mess up daily, but I know that His grace is sufficient and His mercies are new each morning! My start looked incredibly bleak and who in this day and age would try to convince a woman in that situation to keep her child? My friend put it like this: my mum’s pregnancy (me) wasn’t the problem — my mum’s situation was. She needed to get all of us away from my dad. She should have been safe, she should have had someone to turn to, to help her relocate, and my dad really should have gone to prison or been committed. She thought she had no way out, but that should never be the case!
A baby is never the problem. A baby is a blessing. The circumstances and situation may be a huge problem, but they can be changed. I just really want people to understand that a bad start doesn’t mean a bad end.
I am a wife, a mother, a foster parent, a volunteer for a homeless charity, a friend, a sister and a voice for the unborn. I am living out God’s purpose for my life. It looked like such a bleak situation, but I had a reason for being — as every child who is conceived does!
My husband is as passionate about defending the rights of the unborn as I am. I knew Paul when I was a teenager, and I had a crush on him then. We reconnected through Facebook and got married in 2013. We have so much respect for each other, so that even when we at times drive each other crazy, we are such good friends and we always have each other’s backs.
Especially given my own beginnings, I am passionate about the unborn having a right to life! Just by defending the unborn, many think I’m being judgmental to those who have had abortions, but I’m really not. I hate abortion — but just as I still loved my mum who had attempted to abort me, I don’t hate people for having one. 
BIO: Kerry Ann Beckley is a wife and mother, residing in Reading, England. She is a foster care giver, a worship singer at her church, and a pro-life blogger for Save The 1.
