For months, abortion advocates have used the Zika virus as an excuse to push their abortion ideology. Along with a top UN official, they have said abortion must be expanded in order to prevent children with microcephaly from being burdens on their parents.

Apparently, 17-year old Sara Mujica didn’t get the memo. From The Associated Press:

“This is my blessing. This is my miracle,” she said. “I have a cousin who has Down syndrome and he is so smart and l love him so much. I would never give up a Down syndrome child or a child with birth defects.”

Mujica said she doesn’t know at this point if her baby will have birth defects.

“I’m going to stay positive and hope my baby comes out normal,” she said.

According to PEOPLE, Mujica — who contracted Zika while visiting her 19-year old fiance in Honduras — was told she may never bear children because of her fight with meningitis two years ago. And while her decisions leading up to the pregnancy were unquestionably irresponsible, she and her fiance are showing women a brighter path than abortion.

Mujica’s mention of Down Syndrome is instructive. At least nine in 10 women whose children are diagnosed with the disorder in utero abort, but like Mujica, those who meet their disabled children tend to be very, very happy with them:

“…[P]olls have found that those who choose to bear their disabled children to term do not appear to be condemning themselves or their children to a life of suffering. One large survey found that 99 percent of respondents with Down syndrome described themselves as “happy,” and 99 percent of parents said they loved their child with Down syndrome.

Only 4 percent of parents who responded said they regretted having their child, while 97 percent said they were proud of them.

For abortion groups, Mujica’s decision is a disaster. Numerous prominent American and international groups in several countries, perhaps most notably Brazil, El Salvador, Chile, and the Dominican Republic, have used Zika to expand cultural and legal support for abortion.

Likewise, the head of the UN’s Commission on Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, said that sexual violence in areas affected by Zika meant that abortion should be encouraged. (Al-Hussein’s statement made no mention of stopping sexual violence — just punishing the babies conceived through it.)

However, Mujica and her fiance have chosen hope instead of fear, and life instead of death. And contrary to the doom and gloom promoted by abortion profiteers, the link between Zika and microcephaly is real but small. As a leading pro-life OBGYN told me:

“The latest CDC information, based on an excellent study in French Polynesia, reveals that Zika virus infection has no effect on women who are in the second or third trimester of pregnancy,” Harrison said. “So, for women who are over 12 weeks pregnant, there is no association with microcephaly. For women who have a documented infection with Zika virus, there is a one percent chance of microcephaly.”

Dustin Siggins is an Associate Editor for The Stream, and formerly the D.C. Correspondent and Public Relations Officer for LifeSiteNews. His work has been published by USA TODAY, The Federalist, Huffington Post, National Review Online, and elsewhere.