Woman Who Survived Abortion: “I Celebrate the Day I Was Accidentally Born”

Opinion   |   Maria Gallagher   |   Feb 11, 2022   |   2:33PM   |   Washington, DC

His reaction was stunning, but not necessarily surprising, given what little attention has been paid to babies who survive abortions.

After interviewing an abortion survivor for the Positively Pro-Life! podcast, I asked the producer if he had ever heard of babies surviving abortions. He answered “No.”

But the fact of the matter is, babies have been known to survive abortions. One of them is the subject of a recent episode of my podcast. Melissa Ohden is a beautiful woman who is the founder and director of the Abortion Survivors Network, an organization which advocates for individuals who, as babies, survived abortions.

Melissa has been in touch with more than 500 abortion survivors throughout the world. “My story is the story of so many people,” she says. “I celebrate the day that I was accidentally born alive.”

Melissa’s mother underwent an abortion she did not want. She was forced to undergo a saline abortion—a type of abortion which is not performed much anymore. Melissa soaked in a toxic salt solution for several days. On the fifth day she was accidentally born alive. Melissa, who was adopted, learned about the circumstances of her birth as a teenager, and has since been reunited with her birth mother.

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When addressing people who promote abortion, Melissa says, “It’s important that we lead with love.” She recognizes that people who have been impacted by abortion often experience profound emotional pain, a pain that can result in trying to silence abortion survivors.

Melissa notes that every day is a battle to get the word out about those precious human beings who have survived abortions. You can read her story in the book You Carried Me: A Daughter’s Memoir. Her second book, spotlighting the stories of other abortion survivors, will be published later this year.

LifeNews.com Note: Maria Gallagher is the Legislative Director and Political Action Committee Director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and she has written and reported for various broadcast and print media outlets, including National Public Radio, CBS Radio, and AP Radio.