Justin Bieber’s Mom Explains Why She Rejected an Abortion

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 17, 2012   |   2:55PM   |   Washington, DC

Last year, Justin Bieber made waves around the world for proclaiming himself pro-life. But a new interview his mom gave to the Today show’s Kathie Lee Gifford provides an extraordinarily background as to why Bieber may oppose abortion — his mom chose life.

Justin Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, explained to “Today,” in an interview that will air this week, about the sexual abuse she suffered before becoming pregnant and how she was determined to make it through a difficult pregnancy situation and give birth to Bieber.

Prior to becoming pregnant, Mallette suffered sexual abuse, a subject she discusses in her new book, “Nowhere But Up: The Story of Justin Bieber’s Mom.” Of that abuse, Mallette told Gifford, “I’ve learned it’s normal and natural for anybody who’s been through sexual abuse to carry that shame and that blame and feel like there’s something wrong with you. So I definitely carried that.”

The shame was so much Mallette attempted to kill herself. She told Gifford that the suicide attempt was “a culmination of, you know, built up over the years with the abuse and the pain and at the time I was messed up with all the drugs and alcohol. I was in a depression and the drugs and alcohol kind of spurred that on some more.”

By the age of 17, Mallette became pregnant with Justin, and at the time, she was encouraged to abort the baby. Of course, Mallette said that was an option she couldn’t consider. “I just knew I couldn’t. I just knew I couldn’t. I just know I had to keep him,” she told Gifford. “And, do the best. I — you know, I didn’t know how I was going to do it. But I just knew that I couldn’t — I couldn’t abort. I had to do my best. I had to see what I could do. And I was determined to do whatever it took.”

Mallette went on to say that the first time she heard her son cry, it was literally music to her ears. “I know this sounds crazy, but he sounded like he was singing. He did,” she said. “It was like this, like, ‘A hah, a hah.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it is so precious and amazing. I just want to squeeze him.’ “

The full interview airs September 18-19 on the Today show.

In the February 2011 interview that made headlines, Rolling Stone magazine initially reported Bieber said: “I really don’t believe in abortion … It’s like killing a baby.”

And asked about whether he supported abortion in cases of rape or incest, the music journal indicated Bieber said,  “Um. Well, I think that’s really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I guess I haven’t been in that position, so I wouldn’t be able to judge that.”

But Rolling Stone issued a “correction” after initially publishing the quote and the correction makes it clear Bieber doesn’t really believe rape constitutes a reason to have an abortion:

“Um. Well, I think that’s really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don’t know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven’t been in that position, so I wouldn’t be able to judge that,” is what Bieber actually said.

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Now, the magazine has issued another update of the quote — one that makes it clear Bieber believes the unborn child is a human being.

“I really don’t believe in abortion. I think it [an embryo] is a human. It’s like killing a baby,” Bieber actually said, with the magazine adding “an embryo for context when Beiber was apparently referring to an unborn baby through pregnancy.

The magazine admitted an “editing error” over the quote and said the quote initially released on its web site was “incomplete.” Media reports on the controversy indicate Rolling Stone issued the “correction” prior to handlers for Bieber contacting them about it.