When she was 13 years old, Denise Mountenay was violated by her childhood friend’s brother at a sleepover. 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.
Mountenay told Live Action News, “He 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.”
At 16, Mountenay became involved with a young man — her first romantic relationship. When the relationship ended, Mountenay’s Swiss-born mother sent her away to Switzerland, hoping she’d get valuable cultural experience. It was there Mountenay discovered she was pregnant.
“My aunt was eight months pregnant and noticed the signs of my pregnancy,” Mountenay said. “Though she spoke no English, the German word for ‘baby’ was the same as it was in English. I pieced together that she wanted me to see a doctor.”
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’t speak or understand the language.
Mountenay said, “I got a job in a restaurant in nearby Liechtenstein where I was promised I’d 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’t think she’d notice.”
A legacy of abortion set in motion as a result of parental pressure
Driving her moped one day, Mountenay lost control of the vehicle, hit a van, and was violently thrown onto its windshield. Fortunately, she didn’t suffer any major injuries nor did the accident result in a miscarriage. Mountenay’s concerned mother immediately flew to Switzerland and learned of Mountenay’s pregnancy.
“She pressured me to have an ‘operation,’ so I could get on with my life,” Mountenay said. “I 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.”
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’s mother advised she get an abortion to avoid raising an illegitimate child.
Mountenay said, “[My mother] didn’t want me to be judged raising a child out of wedlock even though she was unmarried when my sister was born.”
Nine weeks along, Mountenay asked the physician about her baby’s development.
“He told me it was just the size of a dot, nothing significant,” Mountenay said. “So, I contacted a Buffalo clinic where I could get a quicker appointment than in Toronto where I lived at the time.”
Awake during the surgery, Mountenay suffered excruciating pain as her baby was ripped from her womb, belatedly screaming for the abortionist to stop.
Mountenay said, “I felt as if I was being raped all over again. Afterward, I sunk into a profound depression.”
She took a leave of absence from her job selling insurance and checked herself into the YWCA. She also started using recreational drugs and alcohol to assuage her despair.
“My mother had a girlfriend check on me, but ironically, she ended up partying with me,” Mountenay said. “It wasn’t long before my decadent lifestyle resulted in a third pregnancy from a one-night stand with someone whose name I didn’t even remember.”
Scarred and wounded, Mountenay underwent her third abortion as a means of handling yet another crisis. Struggling to find a way off the path of self-destruction, she researched world religions hoping to find salvation. She came to the conclusion that everything she researched had some glaring flaw in philosophy — except Christianity.
Salvation through Christ spurs a new beginning
Mountenay said, “I became a Christian at a Women’s AGLOW meeting. While surrounded by powerful prayer warriors, I got the revelation that Satan had stolen my virginity and abortion had killed my children. I was called to the altar, where I confessed my sin of abortion and repented. That’s when God started to transform my life.”
One night, Mountenay heard a voice telling her Jesus was coming. In a vision, He materialized accompanied by three children at the ages her aborted children would have been at the time: 16 years old, six years old, and five years old.
“I cried when I realized who they were and asked them for forgiveness,” Mountenay said. “One by one they told me they forgave me for what I had done. I believe with certainty this vision was from the Lord.”
In January 1988, the Canadian Supreme Court struck down abortion laws, allowing easier access to abortion. Mountenay felt called to go public with her story. She became a sidewalk counselor outside the thriving abortion practice of well-known Canadian abortion crusader Dr. Henry Morgentaler, a Jew who was once imprisoned at the Dachau concentration camp in Poland during World War II. He eventually sued her for $1 million in damages.
Mountenay said, “He knew I didn’t have that kind of money; he just wanted me to go away because I was bad for business.”
Seeking to marry, Mountenay started praying for a husband and met a man when she spoke at his church. He wasn’t her romantic type, though, so they became friends.
“He was living with someone, and I wasn’t attracted to him initially,” Mountenay said. “But over time, he gave up his sinful lifestyle. We fell in love and got married. God blessed us with a son, my miracle child after several abortions.”
The Lord began opening more doors internationally for Mountenay to shine a light on the destructive nature of abortion. She has traveled worldwide giving inspirational talks in various countries and has led teams into the United Nations, hosting workshops and speaking to UN Ambassadors.
Author of “The Bride, the Serpent, and the Seed,” Mountenay founded Together for Life Ministries to offer hope and healing to those affected by abortion and pregnancy loss. She is currently working on a movie to expose the lies of the abortion industry.
Mountenay said, “It’s just like God to turn my mess into a message by providing a way for an ordinary woman like me to confront the most contentious issue of our time.”
Correction, 3/5/24: This article originally listed “Women’s AGLOW” as GLOW. We regret the error.
