To the editor:

I doubt that most of us can imagine what it would be like to have survived an abortion, but Gianna Jessen’s birth certificate says: Born During Saline Abortion.

Gianna was in Wapakoneta on Friday evening to tell her story. When her mother was 17 and seven months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood facility in California where the abortionist injected a saline solution into the amniotic fluid.

The purpose of a saline abortion is to kill the baby; the abortion is completed when the mother goes into labor and “delivers” a dead baby. That didn’t happen with Gianna; after 18 hours, her mother delivered a live baby who normally would have been left to die. However, someone called an ambulance and Gianna was taken to a hospital for several months and then placed in foster care as a ward of the state. Her future did not look bright.

Although she has cerebral palsy, she delivered a powerful talk about how we are not determined by our birth or the circumstances of our lives. Although she has experienced rejection, discouragement and hostility, she has persevered in trying to bring the truth to others. She has testified in Congress and shares her story with others hoping that they will turn to the Lord for forgiveness and healing.

Although Gianna suffers from the effects of a failed abortion, she made it very clear that she does not see herself as a victim. She also made it very clear that it is her faith in Jesus Christ that has brought her healing and strength.

As I reflected on her talk, I was reminded of how abortion kills not only preborn babies, but wounds mothers and fathers; siblings and grandparents; and how it negatively impacts the culture in which we live. Fortunately, there is hope and healing.

HopeAfterAbortion is a website with information about Project Rachel resources. For both men and women wounded by abortion, there are resources at Silent No More and Rachel’s Vineyard.

To read more about Gianna, check out: giannajessen.com

The movie, “October Baby,” is loosely based on her life story.

Mary C. Schmiesing

Sidney