Toni Braxton Reveals Thoughts That Son’s Autism Was God’s Punishment For Abortion
Toni Braxton opens up about some of her most personal thoughts in her new memoir Unbreak My Heart.
The singer reveals that she once believed that her 11-year-old son Diezel’s autism was a punishment from God for her decision to have an abortion in 2001 after conceiving a child with ex Keri Lewis.
Because a very religious upbringing, Braxton was immediately overcome with guilt over the abortion.
“I was suddenly faced with a choice I’d never thought I’d have to make,” the songstress writes, “Amid my major misgivings about abortion, I eventually made the gut-wrenching decision.”
Braxton continued: “In my heart, I believed I had taken a life — an action that I thought God might one day punish me for … My initial rage was quickly followed by another strong emotion: guilt. I knew I’d taken a life … I believed God’s payback was to give my son autism.”
However, the 46-year-old Grammy winner that she has moved on from her initial thoughts and now feels differently.
“When my youngest son was diagnosed with autism I feared that I was being punished for my earlier actions. I have since realized that my son is special and learns in a different way, she explained to Us Weekly.
Unbreak My Heart, which is now available, also covers Braxton’s financial struggles through two bankruptcies and her health scares.
(Photo Credit: Instagram/Toni Braxton)
