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Feb. 19, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On a hot summer day in June of 2008 Kristi Hofferber decided it was time to talk to her adoptive parents about getting information about her birth parents. Kristi had never felt the need to step back into her past, but always felt unsettled about it. On this hot day in June 2008, she decided to go back in time and what she found out about her birth parents was the biggest shock of her life. 

Kristi was adopted at birth into a loving home and was raised in the Lutheran church. She grew up knowing she was adopted by a young married couple in Illinois and was their only child.  She was never sure why her birth mother placed her up for adoption, and was never sure if she ever really wanted to know the reason why.

When Kristi was 13 years old, her adoptive parents read a local newspaper article about a father who had molested his daughter for years and was being charged with rape and molestation of a dependent. The newspaper printed this family’s name, and that's how Kristi’s parents discovered the truth about their adopted daughter’s young life. 

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Kristi's parents were mistakenly given the name of her birth family during the adoption process back in 1978. They decided to keep this information secret until Kristi was old enough to understand, and mature enough to handle this kind of information.

For years Kristi’s adoptive parents told her that when she wanted information concerning her birth family, they would sit down with her to discuss it.  But Kristi was content with her life and didn't feel the need to revisit her past.  It wasn't until Kristi was 30 years old, after getting married and having a child of their own, that she felt God moving her towards finding out about her birth. 

“I tried to talk to my mom and dad lots of times about opening my birth records, but I felt like I was disrespecting them in some way so I didn't,” she says.  “When I finally got up enough nerve and they sat me down and told me the truth, I was taken back by what they told me”. 

Kristi’s birth mother was repeatedly molested by her father and as a result, became pregnant with Kristi.  Out of years of abuse and torture, Kristi was the only survivor of six children conceived in incest.  Four of the pregnancies ended in abortion to hide her father’s crime and one forced miscarriage due to abuse.  The abuse went on for almost 20 years, until Kristi's birth mother was strong enough to put an end to it. Kristi's birth mother/sister finally pressed charges against her father and Kristi’s birth father/grandfather went to prison.

One of the questions Kristi gets asked a lot at the events she speaks at is, “do you have any physical abnormalities since you were conceived in incest”?  “This makes me laugh because this is why society tells women to abort children conceived in incest,” Kristi says.  “Like there is going to be something wrong with their child, like I should be purple with green dots or something.” 

“I am as normal as anyone in this auditorium, I am not an exception I just have an exceptional story,” she says.

Kristi knows that her life is a gift and she is not only lucky to be alive but blessed to be strong enough to tell her birth mother’s story.  Kristi is now speaking out publicly, and has joined forces with Pam Stenzel and myself and our organization “Living Exceptions.”  

“Living Exceptions” is a non-profit organization that is made up of members who are conceived in rape or incest and are educating individuals how to be 100% pro-life with no exceptions. Sixty percent of the pro-life community believe in a rape/incest exception, and Kristi is dedicating her life to educating people in the pro-life movement that being “pro-life” means that all life has value.  

You can follow Kristi on her pro-life speaker page at www.facebook.com/kristihofferber. To have Kristi speak at your event please use the contact page on www.livingexceptions.com