Rebecca Kiessling is a Family Law attorney, adoptee, home school adoptive mother of 5 with three biological children and delivers a powerful presentation of her own life story, "Conceived in Rape."
As a family law attorney, Rebecca Kiessling litigated numerous high-profile (pro bono)cases, fighting for women's rights as well as the rights of unborn children. Rebecca has appeared on ABC's Good Morning America, CNN's Talk Back Live, CBS News, Canada's 100 Huntley Street and EWTN's Life on the Rock. Her story had been featured on the program Extra, in Glamour Magazine and in Marie Claire Magazine. She is the "poster child" for Feminists for Life's poster "Did I Deserve the Death Penalty?," and the author of Heritage House '76's pamphlet, "Conceived in Rape: A Story of Hope."
Rebecca was adopted nearly from birth and, like many adoptees, struggled with issues of value, identity and purpose. Having been raised Jewish, yet knowing she lacked a "Jewish pedigree," she wanted to find her own roots and discover where she fit into this world and God's plan. With a bi-polar mother and a brother in and out of prison, she figured she must come from something better. However, at age 18, Rebecca was devastated to learn that she instead came from something considerably worse -- she was conceived out of brutal rape at knifepoint by a serial rapist. Nevertheless, Rebecca Kiessling enjoyed a tearful reunion with her birth mother. A month later, Rebecca faced another emotional setback when told that had abortions been legal in Michigan at the time she was in her mother's womb, her birth mother would have aborted her. In fact, Rebecca was twice nearly aborted at the hands of back-alley abortionists. She is thankful to pro-life advocates who, without even knowing of her existence, recognized that hers was a life worth saving, and made sure abortion was illegal in Michigan at the time.
While Rebecca candidly shares her struggles in resulting blows to her self-esteem and abusive relationships, her story concludes with a strong message of hope since she now understands that her value and identity are not established as a "product of rape" but a child of God, and that the rapist is not her creator (as some would have her believe).
Overcoming the pain of knowing that she was born as a result of a brutal rape, that she was once unwanted by her birth mother, and that our nation is filled with people who believe that she was disposable, Rebecca Kiessling has devoted herself to fighting for the rights of the innocent unborn and to raising her 5 children to know their own value, identity and purpose in Christ.
As a speaker, Rebecca travels throughout North America, speaking over 75 times in 2007, for crisis pregnancy center, right to life and adoption banquets, fundraisers, and rallies, evangelical and Catholic churches, school assemblies, youth events, colleges, law schools, medical schools, attorney seminars, and women's conferences.
Rebecca Kiessling and her husband Bob have five children -- two adopted boys (same birthmother in an open adoption) and three biological daughters. Their 3rd adopted child, Cassie, was born in August, 2000, with a very serious genetic disorder and died in their arms at 33 days old. Each of their adopted children has a unique story and may be speaking to you someday! With our society's standards for abortion, none of her family would exist.
