{"id":303896,"date":"2023-12-21T18:51:17","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T00:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=303896"},"modified":"2024-03-05T20:39:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T02:39:32","slug":"three-abortions-advocate-preborn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/three-abortions-advocate-preborn\/","title":{"rendered":"After three abortions, she found God and now advocates for preborn lives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When she was 13 years old, Denise Mountenay was violated by her childhood friend\u2019s brother at a sleepover.\u00a0 She was too frightened to cry out, stuffing the horrific incident deep inside where it remained a shameful secret, not to be shared with anyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mountenay told Live Action News, \u201cHe snuck into my room that night and stole my virginity without my permission. That terrible act would have such an impact on my life later.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At 16, Mountenay became involved with a young man \u2014 her first romantic relationship. When the relationship ended, Mountenay\u2019s Swiss-born mother sent her away to Switzerland, hoping she\u2019d get valuable cultural experience. It was there Mountenay discovered she was pregnant.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy aunt was eight months pregnant and noticed the signs of my pregnancy,\u201d Mountenay said. \u201cThough she spoke no English, the German word for \u2018baby\u2019 was the same as it was in English. I pieced together that she wanted me to see a doctor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The pregnancy confirmed, Mountenay was determined to carry her baby to term, despite her young age and the isolation she felt living in a country where she couldn\u2019t speak or understand the language.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mountenay said, \u201cI got a job in a restaurant in nearby Liechtenstein where I was promised I\u2019d make lots of money from affluent patrons. I started stealing baby clothes from my aunt who, to me, was a much older woman in her early thirties. I didn\u2019t think she\u2019d notice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A legacy of abortion set in motion as a result of parental pressure<\/b><\/p>\n

Driving her moped one day, Mountenay lost control of the vehicle, hit a van, and was violently thrown onto its windshield. Fortunately, she didn\u2019t suffer any major injuries nor did the accident result in a miscarriage. Mountenay\u2019s concerned mother immediately flew to Switzerland and learned of Mountenay\u2019s pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe pressured me to have an \u2018operation,\u2019 so I could get on with my life,\u201d Mountenay said. \u201cI did tell my former boyfriend I was pregnant, but he was in denial, though he did come to the hospital to see me after the abortion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten years later, Mountenay was pregnant again. When her boyfriend found out, he became enraged, telling her to get out of his house and that he never wanted to see her again. As before, Mountenay\u2019s mother advised she get an abortion to avoid raising an illegitimate child.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mountenay said, \u201c[My mother] didn\u2019t want me to be judged raising a child out of wedlock even though she was unmarried when my sister was born.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Nine weeks along, Mountenay asked the physician about her baby\u2019s development.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe told me it was just the size of a dot, nothing significant,\u201d Mountenay said. \u201cSo, I contacted a Buffalo clinic where I could get a quicker appointment than in Toronto where I lived at the time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n