Stephanie was born in 1962 under extremely difficult circumstances.  At the age of 19, her mother was violently raped by her ex-boyfriend.  The rape resulted in a “nightmare” pregnancy for the traumatized young woman.
 
Though abortion was not legal in the US at that time, Stephanie’s mother could have easily arranged an illegal abortion procedure.  However she chose to continue with her pregnancy and arrange for an adoption for her child.  Stephanie states that her mother “understood that a life is a life, regardless of how it began.”
 
Stephanie was adopted by a loving couple soon after birth and when, she became an adult, she was eventually joyfully reunited with her birth mother who had loved her entire life.  Stephanie rejoices in the fact that she has had two mothers who loved her deeply and says of them, “One who loved me past the pain of rape and chose life for me instead, and who not only gave me a home, but loved me as her own.”