Before Andrea Bocelli, world-renowned Italian tenor, was born, his mother suffered from what doctors diagnosed as an appendicitis attack. After treatment, her doctor advised her to abort the baby because he or she would certainly be born with a disability. She did not, and gave birth to a son, whom she named Andrea, in 1958.

“Maybe I’m partisan,” said Bocelli, “but I can say that it was the right choice and I hope that this could encourage many mothers who sometimes might find themselves in difficult situations but want to save the life of their baby.” Bocelli was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma shortly after birth and lost his vision in an accident at the age of 12. His strong Catholic faith has made him deeply pro-life, but even more than that. Bocelli told the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, “Because of my personal convictions as a devout Catholic, I am not only fighting against something, I am fighting for something — and I am for life.”

Bocelli went on to become an internationally known classical tenor, singing duets with another great Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, as well as soprano Sarah Brightman. He performed for Italian President Silvio Berlusconi, Queen Elizabeth II and Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, among many others. His operatic and classical albums have sold 80 million copies worldwide.

Just a taste of what the world would have missed had Andrea’s mother listened to her doctor:

Coming Thursday: “Celebrities Saved From Abortion: What the World Would Have Lost Without Celine Dion.”