Toni Braxton Says God Gave Her Son Autism Because She Got an Abortion
Toni Braxton drops more than a few bombshells in her new memoir, but by far the most extreme is her apparent belief that God gave her 11-year-old son autism because she once had an abortion.
Braxton, who discusses a secret abortion she had in 2001 in the new book, Unbreak My Heart, writes that her guilt over the procedure was compounded by her deeply religious upbringing.
"I was suddenly faced with a choice I'd never thought I'd have to make. Amid my major misgivings about abortion, I eventually made the gut-wrenching decision… 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."
But she later appeared to split the blame with vaccinations, writing, "Maybe it's just a coincidence that after my son's first MMR vaccine, I began to notice changes in him."
However, Braxton backtracked a bit during a recent interview with People Magazine, saying, "I thought I was being punished for having an abortion. But I realized there is nothing wrong with my baby. He just learns differently."
[image via AP]