{"id":170530,"date":"2017-08-11T18:31:27","date_gmt":"2017-08-11T22:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=170530"},"modified":"2017-08-14T15:33:10","modified_gmt":"2017-08-14T19:33:10","slug":"conceived-in-rape-former-miss-pennsylvania-shares-why-every-human-life-deserves-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/conceived-in-rape-former-miss-pennsylvania-shares-why-every-human-life-deserves-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Conceived in rape, former Miss Pennsylvania shares why every human life deserves protection"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

(LifeSiteNews.com<\/a>) – When former Miss Pennsylvania, Valerie Gatto, was in third grade, she found out the difficult truth that she had been conceived when her mother was raped at knifepoint.<\/p>\n

Gatto\u2019s mother was only 19 years old when the attack occurred.\u00a0 Her assailant had plans to murder her as well, but says those plans were thwarted when a bright light from an unknown source appeared. This light gave Gatto\u2019s mother the ability to get up and run away before he could do further harm to her.\u00a0 Gatto says, \u201cI like to think of that light as my mother’s and (my) guardian angel.\u201d<\/p>\n

In\u00a0an interview<\/a>\u00a0with the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Gatto says her mother always told her, \u201cI was her light.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon after the attack, Gatto\u2019s mother discovered she was pregnant.\u00a0 According to an interview with Gatto for CBS Pittsburgh, her mother never considered abortion.<\/p>\n

She did have plans to put her daughter up for adoption, hoping she could be given a more stable life elsewhere.\u00a0 But, after Gatto was born, her grandmother reminded her daughter that God does not give us more than we can handle.\u00a0 She convinced Gatto\u2019s mother to raise her little girl herself.<\/p>\n

Thus, at 20 years of age, Gatto\u2019s mother lay aside plans to attend law school in order to raise her daughter.\u00a0 Gatto grew up living with her mother and maternal grandparents in a stable, loving home.\u00a0 She says she never felt as though her mother regretted her decision to keep her.<\/p>\n

Gatto was raised going to church each Sunday and, as a result, faith became an important part of her life.\u00a0 According the Gatto\u2019s website, her mother was put in charge of the food pantry at their church, delivering food baskets for those in need.\u00a0 She would bring Gatto with her and this service driven life encouraged Valerie to volunteer in various capacities as well.<\/p>\n

She became involved in projects such as clothing drives, giving gifts to children in hospital care, and Operation Dear Abby, which gives cards to U.S. military members stationed overseas.\u00a0 Gatto says she has learned to live her life \u201clooking at how to turn a negative into a positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gatto went on to pursue higher education and graduated with honors from the University of Pittsburgh.\u00a0 Since then, she has continued serving in various capacities around her community such as helping at a local food bank and donating clothes to an organization that empowers women.<\/p>\n

Additionally, her mother\u2019s story of rape and survival has given her a deep desire to help other women learn how to protect themselves from sexual assault.\u00a0 \u201cI hope to make a difference and shed a light on sexual assault and rape for young women,\u201d Gatto says.<\/p>\n

As she anticipates using her platform to inspire many with her life and story, Gatto firmly believes God has put her on this earth for a special reason.\u00a0 \u201cI knew God put me here for a purpose, and he’s the reason my mother and I were saved,\u201c she says. \u201cI want to do him proud and my family proud.\u00a0 If I did just sit there and think, \u2018Why did this happen?\u2019 or \u2018Does my father know I exist?\u2019 and be scared and let the fear of the unknown stop me, I wouldn’t be living my life. He put me here to do great things, and I’m not going to let that stop me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Life Site News<\/a> on March 3, 2014, and is reprinted here with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(LifeSiteNews.com) – When former Miss Pennsylvania, Valerie Gatto, was in third grade, she found out the difficult truth that she had been conceived when her mother was raped at knifepoint. Gatto\u2019s mother was only 19 years old when the attack occurred.\u00a0 Her assailant had plans to murder her as well, but says those plans were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":65849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[7077,9459],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nConceived in rape, former Miss Pennsylvania shares why every human life deserves protection<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/conceived-in-rape-former-miss-pennsylvania-shares-why-every-human-life-deserves-protection\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conceived in rape, former Miss Pennsylvania shares why every human life deserves protection\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"(LifeSiteNews.com) – When former Miss Pennsylvania, Valerie Gatto, was in third grade, she found out the difficult truth that she had been conceived when her mother was raped at knifepoint. 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