Choose Life

Testimonies of women who decided to keep their babies in the midst of very difficult situations.

Testimony 1

From darkness into light

Tania is a young and happy mother of two lively children. “Happy” is a word that wasn’t in her vocabulary in the past. She wanted to tell her story to encourage others who may think that their own situation is hopeless.

“I made my Aliyah to Israel at the age of 18, with a heart full of dreams about the Jewish State and about a good future and profession for myself. However, things turned out very differently to what I had envisioned.

I stayed a long period, two whole years at the center for new immigrants. During that time I fell into real depression. My parents back in my homeland wanted me to come home, but I decided to stay in Israel. I left the center and found myself penniless and homeless. Some girls invited me to share a flat with them in the Tel Aviv area. There were four girls living there. All of them often invited men to stay overnight. I had to share a room with one of these girls. Finally I found a job, and thought that my life would improve little by little. My boss was a foreigner. I had a relationship with him, which lasted two years. When I found out I was pregnant, he insisted that I should have an abortion. He was violent, he drank alcohol and threatened me. I had to flee from him. A friend helped me, by taking me to her little apartment. I gave birth to Liat, and shortly thereafter found myself taking care of both my own daughter and my friend’s child. I received medication for my depression. Our situation was constantly difficult, so both my girlfriend and myself decided to return to our homeland. It wasn´t easier there. My daughter needed medical treatment, which I couldn´t get in the country. My relatives received us, but I felt they expected me to be their cleaning woman.

I found some kind of support from a man, who was an old friend. But because of the health situation of my little daughter, I decided that I had to return to Israel to have her properly cared for. Just after I arrived, I found out that I was nine weeks pregnant, expecting the baby of the friend who remained in the old land. We had had a short romance before I left.

Once again I was in a desperate situation. I found a temporary place to stay with an old couple. I knew I had no other choice but to opt for abortion. In a newspaper I found the number of what I thought was an abortion clinic. I phoned and explained my desperate situation to the counselor who immediately invited me to come and talk with her. She told me about the help that their orginazation can give me, Liat and the coming baby. I told her that I didn´t have a place to go. She called me every day and she told me that she had found me a place in another town. I didn´t want to be far from Tel Aviv. In the meantime a nurse promised to help me financially so that I could go through with an abortion. I decided to do it and went to the hospital for tests before the abortion. Anat, on the other hand, shared with me about the living God, and the consequences of abortion in my body and in my soul. She said I could also give the baby to be adopted, if I felt I couldn´t keep him.

Despite Anat’s intervention, I went to the hospital for the abortion. Even there God sent a cleaning woman to talk to me. I started weeping. At the same moment the doctor came in and told me they could not do the abortion now, because of my weak blood at the time. I left the hospital, called my mother abroad and told her I was considering suicide. She packed her suitcase and flew to Israel immediately. When I was already in my 25th week of pregnancy, the doctors found out my baby had a heart defect. At that time I already wanted to keep my baby, but the doctors wanted to carry out an abortion, because they were sure the baby would not live. At the hospital I met a girl whose baby died. I decided that I would keep my child at any cost. Anat brought me everything that the baby would need; a bed, new clothes, everything. She and her husband gave me a Bible. I was ready to give my life to the Lord. I myself started now to pray for my baby. One day the doctor told me that the baby was now out of danger, but that I had to have a cesarean birth. Finally the day came, and I gave birth to a baby boy. He couldn’t breathe on his own. They didn´t let me see him. Three days later he started breathing without difficulties. I still had to stay in bed for a whole month. The Brenners came to see me. They arranged everything that I needed. Together with other people they helped me to finally move into a good apartment, and it was even furnished! I was so grateful to God for the salvation He gave us, that I started to recover from my long lasting depression. I thank Him still this day for sending good people to my life at the moment of real crisis and need!

Because of the health situation of my little Danni, we could arrange the Brit Mila (circumcision) only when he was 2-years old. It was a wonderful celebration, at the home of the Brenner family.

The children started growing, and I needed a profession and a job. God opened the door to study a course to become a medical secretary. I was afraid I would never pass the language examination, but for God all things are possible! I got my diploma and got a job as the secretary. Now it is my turn to help others in need!”

Testimony 2

Approaching Bat Mitzvah

Lital, a beautiful and intelligent schoolgirl is already making plans for her Bat Mitzvah celebrations, since she will be turning 12 years old soon. Her mother, Sigal, gives a big hug to her, the dear and only child of this little family of two: a mother and a daughter. "Where would I be without her!" she exclaims.

Eleven years ago Sigal, an Israeli born, young woman had a relationship with a man with whom she fell in love. The relationship didn’t last, but Sigal found out that she had to live with the consequences; she had fallen pregnant. She knew in her heart that she wanted to keep this baby; abortion was wrong, but her situation went from bad to worse. She had moved in with her mother, who didn’t want to hear of a child. The pressure to go through with an abortion became stronger when the mother just simply told her to leave the house. Leave, but where? There seemed to be no solution.

Through a friend, Sigal heard of a pro life counselor, Anat Brenner, who was ready to come to her aid. Sigal found a small flat, got new caring friends, and was assured that she would not have to face the delivery and child-rearing alone. Anat and her friends gave their support all along the way. She gave birth to a little baby girl, she was now ready for the many new challenges that faced her.

Almost twelve years have passed since Lital's birth. Sigal is now part of the "Abundant life" team, the pro-life organization led by Ishai and Anat Brenner. She wants to help all the young girls or women, who think that abortion is the only option. She has a special burden for the women soldiers of Israel, who may so easily be tempted to have an abortion if they find themselves pregnant.

Her task in the organization is to go out to the army bases, where she and another volunteer of Chaim Beshefa (Abundant life) hand out beautiful envelopes and cards decorated by Sigal, as gifts to Israeli women soldiers. In addition to this gift, the soldiers receive a little card with the phone number of the crises pregnancy center of Chaim Beshefa, where they can call 24 hours.

What a joy it is to the Chaim beshefa-staff to have a once needy mother, now saving other women and unborn children from the abortion experience! The almost 12-year old Lital wants to be part of the team: she is always ready to help the team in reaching the soldiers with the message of life.

Testimony 3

Help from over the ocean

Adi, the mother of three children, became pregnant again, three years after the bankrupt of her husband's firm. During these years the family had lived very poorly. The couple agreed that under the circumstances they couldn't afford a fourth child.

One day, as she was deep in these controversial thoughts, walking in a street in Tel Aviv, someone put a leaflet in her hand. She gave a glance to it, and saw that it was all about abortion! It explained why abortion was wrong, and it encouraged every one to choose life! She burst into tears and phoned immediately to the number which she found in the leaflet, telling all about her heavy affliction. After the conversation she knew that abortion was out of question for her. She came to understand that finincial difficulties are not a reason to kill her baby. In this way she found the connection with Chaim Beshefa organization, through which her situation came known to a Canadian women's group.

One day Adi got a surprise; a letter from over the ocean. In this letter coming from Canada she read about a women's group, which had heard about her and her family and prayed for them. They sent a gift for her and her family. Adi couldn't but be in awe thinking about the exact timing and care of God, through which the whole family was encouraged to continue in the right path forward. This time the tears were of joy! Soon help and support started coming from inside Israel as well.

Today the whole family rejoices over the new family member, a beautiful baby girl, who has brought a great blessing to the whole family.

Testimony 4

Osher brought happiness to my life

The mother of two little girls tells her story: “My teen-age years were full of problems, which led me to an early marriage with a violent man. When I was pregnant, expecting our mutual child, my husband threw me down the stairs, the consequence of which was the miscarriage of our baby. Also my life was in threat, but I recovered. We divorced soon after the incident.

I met a new boyfriend very soon after the divorce, and we moved to live together under the same roof. My hopes for a better future were ruined, when I got pregnant again, and my companion insisted that I should go for abortion. I had already lost one baby, and didn't want to loose this one. After both my mate and my parents had forsaken me for this reason, I sought help from doctors and social workers, only to find out that they too wanted me to abort the child, because of my difficult situation. There didn't seem to be any other option for someone without home and support.

I went to seek somekind of help through the internet, and found the website of Chaim Beshefa. I managed to contact Anat Brenner, who offered me the possibility to live in their shelter home during my whole pregnancy. The Brenners came to take me to their home, where I could spend a very important period of physical and spiritual recovery, until I could move to stay with some old friends of mine.

When my baby girl was finally born, I was afraid to tell the news to my parents, who till that day, had believed that I had aborted the child. The social worker invited them to the hospital, where, to their surprise, they found a healthy baby girl, who was their grandchild. After seeing Osher, they cried and rejoiced together from happiness.

Today I am already a happy wife and the mother of two little girls. I met and married a good husband with whom I got another baby. “Osher” meaning happiness, really brought happiness, dignity and a new beginning to my life. I am very grateful for all the support I received, because without it I would not be here today to tell my story."

Testimony 5

Fighter for Life

I already had two abortions that have left me traumatized. When I met the Chaim Beshefa counselors all that I could talk about was the nightmare of the two abortions. As I planned my second abortion I ran away five times from different hospitals not willing to go through the trauma all over again. The fifth time the nurse ran after me outside to set a date for the abortion. I agreed and followed through with the abortion. Immediately thereafter, I began to have nightmares of a couple who were holding a child but the child was dead. Now I am pregnant again. Through my counseling, I understand that I suffer from post abortion syndrome. When I went to the doctor, he suggested that I have an abortion. I looked at him and said, "How can you offer to kill my baby when you made a vow to save life and not to kill?" When I left the doctor's room I stopped at the waiting room and talked with the young women there, pleading with them not to choose abortion. I gave them the hotline number to call. Through all the pain of the abortions, the memories and nightmares I experienced, I have become a fighter for life.