(Live Action) Danielle Yonemura was only 14 years old when she became a mother. While abortion advocates believe that abortion would have been necessary in order for Danielle to achieve her goals and graduate from college, it was her baby girl, Leilani, who inspired her to build a better life.
“Wow, I really need to get my stuff together because I’m about to be a mom,” she told the local CBS station KCCI of the realization she was pregnant. “I need this child to grow up and have a good life, a better life than I did.”
Danielle proved to herself and those around her that teenage girls and young women can earn a degree and be mothers when she graduated from high school in the top 10% of her class. Next, she went on to earn her associate’s degree. This month (May 2021), she graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in nursing, and was nominated by her class to speak at the virtual commencement. Though there were times of struggle and hardship, and even some time spent homeless, Danielle made good on her promise to her baby girl, now age 10 — whom she called, “my light in the darkness” — to create a good life for them.
“I know what it has been like to have struggled and to have failed,” she said in a pre-recorded version of her commencement speech. “I’m thankful for those experiences because it made me stronger in the end.”
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Leilani, right by her mother’s side through all of the challenges and triumphs, is proud of everything her mom has accomplished. “She’s worked so hard for this,” she said. “The journey she’s been through just shows how strong she is and how proud I am of her.”
Tweet This: Danielle Yonemura became a mom at 10 years ago age 14, and just graduated from the University of Iowa with a nursing degree
Abortion is not a necessary tool to help women achieve their dreams, though the message of the abortion industry to women is so often ‘you can’t do this.’ On the contrary, women can be both mothers and earn a degree or advance in a career. Countless women have shown that mothers are capable, strong, and can overcome obstacles. This includes Lamyrical Harris, a teen mom who received more than $1 million in academic scholarships, and Brianna Hill, who went into labor during her bar exam and passed.
Women do not have to choose between their goals and the lives of their children. They can do both and succeed.
Editor's note: This article was published by Live Action News and is reprinted with permission.
