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Elizabeth with her daughter Gaudy.

February 15, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Rape is so evil. I know that first hand. My friend and I were both raped and became pregnant. We both chose different paths. I have learned that abortion will never help a rape victim overcome the trauma and will only make the situation worse. 

My name is Elizabeth and I live in Costa Rica. While attending university I was raped and became pregnant. I wanted to abort. I did not want to be a single mom. 

One day while I was crying about my situation, I felt my little baby begin to move. I reached out for some help, telling myself, “Ok, I will place this baby for adoption. I don’t have to be burdened with this kid I didn’t order.”

Months passed. I learned my baby was a girl. It was such a strange time because I hated and loved her at the same time. How could I love something that came from such an evil act? 

The days passed. On February 19th my much-questioned baby was born by cesarean section. I awoke from the surgery to hear some wonderful nurses saying, “Look at that pretty girl.” 

And just like that, I fell in love with her. I called her “Gaudy,” a name I had always liked as a little girl. 

Yes, my baby stole my heart. I am happy. I survived. And I thank God, because I have the best gift that life could give me, my daughter. She is my everything, my little princess. I am grateful to those who helped me through this difficult time. 

It has now been nine years since her arrival. I can say that with her in my life I am a more complete human and a stronger and happier woman. She is my blessing. Thank you my child: You make my life a place full of love and hope.

How I wish my friend Carol could have shared a similar love and joy. The same day that those men violated me, they also raped and impregnated her. 

Everyone told her to abort “that bastard son of a horror.” She had no one to help her with kind words of encouragement. So, she decided to abort. 

At first, she thought everything would be fine. One day, however, the two of us were visiting in a park and she told me what was really happening inside of her. 

It was December and my baby was then 10 months old. When we saw each other, we cried a lot. She saw my daughter and began describing to me what the face of her baby might have looked like. She told me she could not stop feeling like a killer. Her baby was gone and she felt responsible. 

She said to me, “Eli, how I envy you because I will never know who my baby could’ve been.”

A few months later I went to visit Carol. To my horror, I found that she had committed suicide. 

Her mother told me that she was never the same after the abortion. It had overwhelmed her. I will always remember my friend as a beautiful and special girl.

I don’t want to judge. I know how horrible rape is, but aborting will never help. I was raised with the certainty that using evil against evil never works. Only giving love will bear fruit. 

It’s true that rape scarred me as a woman. But that horrible man cannot do me any more harm. I now know that abortion would have only made my situation worse, especially since I am unable to have more children. My daughter conceived in rape has become my blessing. To this day, I am the mother of a blessing. 

With the love of my baby, I am happy. I could never imagine my life without her. 

Editor's Note: Elizabeth blogs in Spanish at Save the 1. Her story originally appeared at www.salvarel1.blogspot.com. Her story has been edited and used here with permission.