By William Lawyer
Before children are born, we cannot communicate with them, touch them, or interact with them in the same ways we can with a child who is born. Hearing a baby’s heartbeat or seeing an ultrasound image can be powerful, but to some people, the preborn child may seem much less real than the already-born babies we see around us. That is why, for decades, we have been bombarded with messages seeking to downplay the fact that abortion kills a human being.
But what happens when abortionists fail to kill the innocent preborn babies they target? Often, the babies are left alone to die.
Though abortion advocates say this does not happen often, evidence proves otherwise. And the existence of these abortion survivors seems to terrify pro-abortionists, as it forces them to see the humanity of the preborn.
Failed abortions: The boys and girls who live
Melissa Ohden
At the gestational age of approximately 31 weeks, Melissa Ohden1 survived a saline abortion—a type of abortion in which a salt solution is injected into the amniotic sac, poisoning and burning the child over a prolonged period until death occurs.2
The abortion was not her mother’s choice but was forced upon her by her family. Melissa soaked in the salt solution for five days before her mother’s labor was induced. The abortion failed to kill Melissa, but it caused jaundice, respiratory problems, and seizures. Upon realizing she was still alive, the nurse who delivered her, who was actually Melissa’s maternal grandmother, demanded that Melissa be left to die. Eventually, one of the other nurses rushed her to the NICU, stating, “She just kept gasping for breath, and so I couldn’t just leave her there to die!”3
The details of Melissa’s birth were not widely shared. Though she knew she was adopted, she did not learn the full story until she was 14.4 Her birth mother didn’t even know her baby had survived until Melissa found her biological family when she was 30. Since reconnecting, Melissa and her mother have been able to form a positive relationship, overcoming the wounds they both suffered at the hands of abortion.5
Melissa has now become a strong voice for the preborn and for abortion survivors. She founded The Abortion Survivors Network, which offers support to survivors and educates the public about the reality of failed abortions.
To read the remainder of this article, visit the Celebrate Life Magazine website at clmagazine.org/topic/pro-life-champions/abortion-survivors-speak-to-the-horror-of-abortion.
To read additional pro-life articles, visit the Celebrate Life Magazine site at clmagazine.org.