“The mere existence of abortion survivors like Penny proves that abortion isn’t health care; it’s designed to kill a person.“
That quote from an email I received from Shawn Carney (of 40 Days for Life) and a recent communication from Melissa Ohden (founder of Abortion Survivors Network) prompted the title for this post. The reference is to the introduction of the name of “Penny,” an abortion survivor, by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on August 23. You can read the full story here: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/08/26/desantis-penny-abortion-providers-debate-candidate/
It is an ugly story that happened under unusual circumstances in 1955. Unfortunately, DeSantis missed the opportunity to talk about recent survivors of attempted abortion by modern surgical techniques. This opened the door for declarations by abortion supporters that no pregnancy (today) survives an abortion (and, after all, “it is just a piece of tissue”).
It is necessary for abortionists to assert that position. The horror of institutionalized killing of a developing human being in the womb could cause voting people to reject the procedure. Therefore, it cannot be admitted that the pregnancy is a real person who, if born alive, is just as real a person as the rest of us.
That is why the work of Abortion Survivors Network is so important, and why abortionists deny the existence of such people. Visit the web site and read the stories: https://abortionsurvivors.org/ “Most people do not realize that sometimes abortion procedures fail, are stopped, or reversed (abortion pill), and survivors exist. Our research estimates that 85,817 infants have been born alive after failed abortions since 1973. The average number of abortion survivors each year is approximately 1,734.” https://abortionsurvivors.org/who-we-are/testimonials/
Melissa recently shared with me how Penny was subsequently harassed publicly and privately. “The media and abortion industry would love nothing more than to make us ashamed and scared to ever speak up.” Nevertheless, hundreds of abortion survivors do speak up, demanding that they be recognized as a person when developing in the womb, just as they are entitled to the rights of a person when a baby and an adult. It is one continuum of life that must be respected.
Melissa herself survived an abortion. Her painful story, and her triumph, are told in her book “You Carried Me” https://www.amazon.com/You-Carried-Me-Daughters-Memoir/dp/0874867886/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=you+carried+me&qid=1694896646&sr=8-1 Melissa was kind enough to help me with references to abortion survivors in my own book “Building a Culture of Life.” https://www.amazon.com/Building-Culture-Life-George-Brooks-ebook/dp/B0B5351KLG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GCHPPFIDQVJ4&keywords=building+a+culture+of+life+by+george+brooks&qid=1694896943&sprefix=building+a+cuture+of+life+by+george+brooks%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-1
Melissa is a force of nature, crossing the country back and forth…Washington (DC), Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois… attending national leadership meetings, recording training sessions, talking with members of congress, recording videos and podcasts, making appearances at various events… I get tired just thinking about it !
She also shared with me these upcoming links, which deserve your attention: Karen’s story: https://youtu.be/61XKFhWUxHo?feature=shared Lauren’s story: https://youtu.be/61XKFhWUxHo?feature=shared Lauren. Karen and Melissa: https://youtu.be/-Lp-JB-7-gY?feature=shared and she promises me the upcoming story of “an adoptive mom, sharing about her 12 year old who survived a late-term abortion at 28 weeks.”
Those of us who are passionate about protection of incipient life, that of a real person developing in the womb, must be aware of the real people who were trying to live and who narrowly survived an attempted abortion, as well as the 64 million very real people who did not survive. We must know about Abortion Survivors Network, we must look into the faces of abortion survivors, we must hear their stories, feel their pain, and celebrate their healing from the awful knowledge that their mothers tried to kill them. Imagine feeling worthless, a piece of trash to be discarded because you are an inconvenience.
There are many ways in which we can oppose this violence, so each of us should find our niche and participate. On the back of my business card I have placed a quotation to remind me not to get tired, not to weaken in my resolve: “Never tire of firmly speaking out in defense of life from its conception and do not be deterred from the commitment to defend the dignity of every human person with courageous determination.” Pope St. John Paul II
In a future post, I will address the topic about which I am most asked to speak: what do we do now that Roe is overturned, how do we deter abortion in those venues where it is still legal? In addition to the quip “everything,” I offer the prospects for creating the circumstances in which women do not want to seek an abortion. I do not say that it will be easy to get there. In the meantime, we work to change the hearts and minds. Recognition that the growing entity in the womb is a real person is critical to our success on all other fronts. Congratulations Melissa Ohden and thank you !