His Parents Wanted an Abortion, but a Doctor Saved Him—92 Years On, He’s Glorifying God With His Pro-Life Work

His Parents Wanted an Abortion, but a Doctor Saved Him—92 Years On, He’s Glorifying God With His Pro-Life Work
(Illustration by The Epoch Times, Shutterstock, Courtesy of the Lane family)
Tyler Wilson
5/22/2024
Updated:
5/28/2024
0:00

Ninety-two-year-old Ray Lane wouldn’t be here if his parents hadn’t listened to their doctor.

Born during the Great Depression, Mr. Lane has accumulated a wealth of lifelong experiences and knowledge—but one of his all-time favorite talks has always been recounting how he was saved from being aborted. Ironically, it happened during the era when abortions were illegal in the United States; a thoughtful doctor successfully counseled Mr. Lane’s parents to not terminate the pregnancy.

Saved from abortion, Mr. Lane grew up and has lived a fulfilling life. He recently published a book titled “Conceivable: The Unlimited Potential of the Unborn,” laying out his own life experiences and his firm belief that terminating a pregnancy equals “aborting a human being.”
Colorado Springs police chaplain Ray Lane. (Provided by the Lane family)
Colorado Springs police chaplain Ray Lane. (Provided by the Lane family)

Referring to the American scientist Dr. Thomas Verny’s two decades of medical study on what an unborn baby can learn, Mr. Lane said an unborn baby can respond to music and sounds and even warn parents of medical problems they or their doctors may not be aware of.

What a tiny unborn baby—or “a clump of cells” as pro-choice advocates describe it—can perceive from within the womb is startling. Dr. Verny wrote in his book, “The Secret Life of the Unborn Child,” that an unborn baby is capable of receiving and responding to love and being sensitive to the emotions and feelings of his or her parents.
“What they are aborting is a human being—a person whose development starts the day after conception,” Mr. Lane told The Epoch Times. “It’s like an explosion happens in the modification of the cell [after conception]. The DNA will prove that that baby is different from every other baby and person in the world.”

A Life-Saving Conversation

Mr. Lane has long been a defender of the unborn, perhaps stemming from his long and intimate knowledge of abortion.

When he was 8 years old, his mother told him that she had intended to abort him, but her doctor persuaded her not to. She'd already terminated two previous pregnancies; it was the Great Depression, and the parents feared that they would not be able to feed their children.

“There were lots of abortions happening even though it was illegal,” Mr. Lane said. “There were lots of abortions happening all over during the great depression.”

Mr. Lane with his parents and elder brother. (Provided by the Lane family)
Mr. Lane with his parents and elder brother. (Provided by the Lane family)

Fortunately, the doctor reassured Mr. Lane’s mother that they lived on a farm and could grow and can their vegetables and have enough to support the life of their family. When questioned further about why she wanted an abortion, she admitted that it was mainly her husband’s fears.

“‘Well, where is he?’ the doctor asked,'” Mr. Lane said, recounting the conversation that saved his life.

“He was in the car. The doctor suggested, ‘Would you mind going out, bringing him in?’

“Mom went out and got him out of the car and went down. The doctor took him in his office, and they had a conversation—and the abortion did not happen.”

Mr. Lane does not know the specific details of that conversation, but he concludes that he never felt unwanted, believing that he belonged with his family; feeling love and acceptance.

Mr. Lane during his high school days in Meridian, Idaho, in 1950. (Provided by the Lane family)
Mr. Lane during his high school days in Meridian, Idaho, in 1950. (Provided by the Lane family)

The Potential of the Unborn

Though this early intimacy with such a sensitive subject has surely influenced many choices in his 92 years of life, it didn’t negatively impact Mr. Lane’s childhood.

“I was a happy child,” he said.

Having a place to live and farm, where he could bask in the innocence of childhood, Mr. Lane grew into a bright young man, graduating in 9th grade as the valedictorian in his small Idaho school.

In his book, Mr. Lane says: “I grew up on a farm in Idaho, served in the Air Force. I attended Boise junior college now Boise State University [and] was a farmer and bred [and] registered Holsteins. I graduated from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, and after that I spent 18 years farming and then God called me into the ministry, and I graduated from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, Colorado.”
Mr. Lane served as Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air National Guard, in 1953. (Provided by the Lane family)
Mr. Lane served as Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air National Guard, in 1953. (Provided by the Lane family)

Endeavoring to glorify God in whatever line of work he has been in, Mr. Lane has worked all over the United States and even spent time in New Zealand. Whether it has been winning an award for his cattle breeding, being a capable Air Force sergeant, or being a champion for the unborn, Mr. Lane represents what could have been for his siblings who were never born and the millions of babies who never got a chance at life.

Considering himself one of the lucky ones, Mr. Lane said, “We are losing massive numbers of our future leaders to abortion.”

A Continuing Impact

Mr. Lane reflects on the impact of his work for the betterment of the world, and he also sees the impact of his parent’s choice in the good work his grandson does.

“My one grandson was the top computer engineering graduate from School of Mines in Colorado, which is one of the nation’s top schools for engineering,” Mr. Lane said.

Mr. Lane on his 90th birthday in 2022. (Provided by the Lane family)
Mr. Lane on his 90th birthday in 2022. (Provided by the Lane family)

Mr. Lane’s grandson lost both of his parents and his step-grandmother to pancreatic cancer, which has influenced the work he does. Having graduated with his master’s degree in 2015, he works for a company based out of London, England, using artificial intelligence to search for cures for cancer.

“My grandson is the lead guy on the study to see if artificial intelligence can help in finding answers to treatment for cancer,” Mr. Lane said.

Mr. Lane hopes to help more than just his own family with his book. Nothing can be done about the lost potential outcomes of the millions of aborted children from the past, but there is something that can be done for the potential lives of the millions of children yet to come—and Mr. Lane intends to do as much as he can with the time he has left.
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Tyler lives and scrambles among the mountains of Utah with his wife and 3 children. He has taught history and literature in public and private school settings. He currently teaches at a private school and homeschools his children with his wife. He writes news and human interest stories
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