God and chastity are at the core of the message that former Colombian model and actress Amada Rose Pérez shares with other women.
Pérez became a model in Colombia at the age of 18. She made a name for herself representing famous brands, and in her role as Sofia in the popular telenovela, La Costeña y El Cachaco. Once pressured into abortion for the sake of her career as a younger woman, Pérez—now 45 and married—has since channeled her immense suffering into a testimony to guide women toward true freedom: a path that begins with respecting one’s own body and never ends with the tragedy of abortion.
A mother to a 5-year-old son, Pérez has devoted herself to her spiritual faith and finds strength and comfort in her relationship with God.
At the core of Pérez’s message is a desire to embolden women to make the right choices, and one choice she supports is abstinence before marriage.
Pérez, now a pro-life advocate, was never in favor of abortion, but when she became pregnant years ago, her decision to terminate the pregnancy was governed by a common decisive factor—fear.
“I was pressured by my partner and I believed in what they told me, that the most important thing was my dreams and my professional success,” she told the online publication. “I also had suicidal thoughts. I believed that I wasn’t worthy to go on living because I had killed my child, and I suffered from a fixation on memories related to the abortion.”
Besides psychological trauma, Pérez wants others to be aware of the potential physical risks of abortion, including sterility, damage to the woman’s internal organs, and possible death. But she believes one of the “most common consequences” of terminating a pregnancy is the loss of tenderness of heart.
Pérez said that she has the opportunity to give her testimony by “the grace of God,” but she knows there are many women of faith who find it hard to talk about their abortions because “it’s too painful and shameful.”
“Those who have had abortions and appear calm are just keeping up appearances; I went out in interviews smiling, but inside my heart was broken,” she told the media outlet.
On Feb. 21, abortion in Colombia was made legal up until the 24th week of pregnancy. While pro-choice advocates have coined the phrase “voluntary interruption of pregnancy” to support the legalization, Pérez has a problem with this euphemism.
“What if I want to resume my pregnancy? Who gives me back my children?” she told Aleteia. "We’re living in a culture of death that wants to take away the value of motherhood, and is damaging the minds and hearts of girls and women who think that if they end the life of their children they will be free. On the contrary, that makes them slaves.
“What we must ask ourselves is who is behind this. Behind abortion is a big business run by men who make women believe that they’re fighting for their rights, when what they’re doing is harming their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.”
In the controversial case of babies conceived in rape, Pérez maintains that the guilt lies with the rapist, advocating for better support for women and babies.
