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Trey Brister · 01-16-05, 02:57 PM

Abortion survivor to tell story at rally

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gianna Jessen testifies on Capitol Hill before a House subcommittee on abortion in 1996.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By AMY WHITE
BEE STAFF WRITER
Last Updated: January 15, 2005, 06:28:27 AM PST

Submit your event to the Faith and Values calendar today!

Gianna Jessen came into the world as a surprise. Her 17-year-old mother knew she was pregnant. She also knew she didn't want to be. She underwent an abortion procedure, having toxic saline solution injected into the womb during the third trimester.

Jessen, then in the womb for 7½ months, spent 18 hours in the solution. "It burns the baby inside and out," she said. "(The mother) is to deliver a dead baby within 24 hours." But when a 2-pound Jessen emerged, she was alive.

"I did not die that day," Jessen said. "I was delivered alive in a Los Angeles County abortion clinic in a room full of teenage girls who had already had the saline injections and were feeling their children die inside of them."

Jessen will tell her story Friday at a Sanctity of Life Rally in Modesto sponsored by the "11th Hour" TV program.

Raised in California, Jessen lives in Nashville, Tenn. She has traveled the world since she was 14, telling of her experience.

Jessen spent her first three months in a hospital incubator. Doctors at the hospital did not expect her to live, she said. But she did. She was then put in emergency foster care, before being placed at 17 months with a foster mother who would become her adoptive grandmother. Afflicted with cerebral palsy resulting from lack of oxygen in the womb, Jessen was "32 pounds of dead weight," she said. She wasn't expected to hold up her head, sit up, crawl or walk.

Her foster mother worked with Jessen, who at age 3½ began to walk with a walker and leg braces. Today, she walks with a slight limp in her left leg.

Jessen has done indoor rock climbing and is training for the Music City marathon in Nashville in a few months. She plans to take swing or tango dance lessons after that. Jessen also writes and performs songs, ranging from love ballads to social commentary.

"Never say never," she said in a recent phone interview. "A person and God always have the opportunity to progress. No matter what point you are at, you can always do something, even if it is just the tiniest thing."

On Christmas when she was 12, Jessen learned she had survived an abortion attempt. Before, when she had asked why she had cerebral palsy, her adoptive mother — the daughter of her foster mother — told her hers was a traumatic, premature birth. But that day when she asked, her mother decided Jessen was ready to hear the truth. She told her that her biological mother was young and without hope.

"I was aborted, right?" Jessen asked. Her adoptive mother confirmed it. Jessen was calm.

"It must have been the Lord, because I didn't freak out," Jessen remembered. "I totally believe that the Lord Jesus spared my life and I would not be walking today if it were not for the grace of God and the power of Christ. I know that when you need God to walk every day, you know that God is real."

Jessen said she never dwelled on feelings of rejection, and someday wants to have or adopt children herself.

Louise Shatswell, producer of "The 11th Hour," said she hopes those who hear Jessen will be touched by her story and "that their eyes will be opened to the reality of life at that stage of life."

The rally will include a question-and-answer session with Jessen, as well as counselors and literature from the Modesto Pregnancy Center.

It's impossible to know exactly how many babies survive abortion procedures, but it is rare, said Jessen, who met 11 others — ranging in age from young children to 65 years old — at a conference about 10 years ago.

Shatswell thinks Jessen's appearance brings another view to a society that endorses the idea that "if you don't want it, get rid of it," she said. "I don't believe the majority of people who get abortions are really informed about what they are doing.

"She is a living example of an unborn child being a child and not being a thing, a glob, an unidentified piece of nothing," Shatswell said. "It's a real-life living baby … and the sanctity of life that the Bible gives doesn't sanction killing a child, whether in the womb or outside the womb."

If a woman told her she was considering an abortion, Jessen said she would listen to her, then lead her to a pregnancy crisis center for tests and counseling.

"I would say that choosing to have an abortion is something she would never forget," said Jessen, who advocates adoption.

"Can't we just give a little and say, 'I may not be the best mother for this child, but I love this child enough to sacrifice for it'?" she asked. "Isn't that the ultimate love?"

Jessen is conscious that examples speak louder than words. She often talks to young people about the value of chastity, modesty and honor. She wants to remind people that all of their choices have consequences.

"My biological parents made some really poor choices," she said. "I forgive them for what they did (but) I live every day with the result of the 'choice' that my biological mother made 27 years ago. So it's ridiculous to think our choices on a moment-by-moment basis only affect us. They always affect someone else, for good or ill."

Jessen is sometimes unprepared for the grief that pours out from others when they hear her story. "Women who have had abortions have come up to me crying, saying, 'I wish I had never done this. I had no idea the pain I would live with for the rest of my life,'" she said.

Men, too, have talked to her of feeling powerless or regretful about supporting an abortion. "At the end of the day, I do a lot of listening," Jessen said.

It's not all listening. She met President Bush in 2002 and has appeared before Congress, including speaking against partial-birth abortion in 1999 and in support of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act in 2000.

She said she doesn't often think about her mother's abortion. "I just spend my life trying to smile and overcome," she said. "Sometimes, it does hit me, 'Oh, my gosh, I was aborted; that's huge.' There are days I think about it and I think, 'This is amazing.' But my whole life has been, so far, kind of an adventure. I really look at life that way."

Gianna Jessen will speak at 7 p.m. Friday in the Modesto High School auditorium. An interview with Jessen will appear on the "11th Hour" TV program from 6 to 7 a.m. Feb. 4. Check listings at www.11thhour.tv. For information about the program, call 526-9700. For more about Jessen, call 615-794-2964 or e-mail greenchairmusic@yahoo.com.

Bee staff writer Amy White can be reached at 578-2318 or awhite@modbee.com.

willy_jack · 01-16-05, 04:52 PM

you pro-life people amaze with the lengths you go to........

Satchel · 01-16-05, 04:56 PM

I wonder if you get a free daisy cutter for attending the sanctity of life rally

Keith P · 01-16-05, 04:59 PM

I'm sorry but this method of aborting a child is completely inhumane. Even being pro choice it sounds like there should be serious restrictions to this practice.

01-16-05, 05:13 PM

Well, I'm sure if you'd survived being aborted you might feel pretty strongly about the subject too...

Quote:

Originally Posted by willy_jack

you pro-life people amaze with the lengths you go to........

willy_jack · 01-16-05, 06:07 PM

Every openly shoving it down your throat Pro- Life imbecile I have ever met are walking poster children for abortion in my honest opinion.

edited because LEDS a fucking moron

dowNINit · 01-16-05, 06:11 PM

I think thats an old school form of abortion and now they have easier methods but of course im not an abortion doctor.

Ryan · 01-16-05, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willy_jack

Every Pro- Life imbecile I have ever met are walking poster children for abortion in my honest opinion.

Jesus Christ. This attitude is why all of us who defend abortion rights for logical reasons get labeled as immoral baby killers. Take whatever position you like, but abortion is a HORRIBLE thing and I think people have a right to oppose it.

sepania · 01-16-05, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willy_jack

you pro-life people amaze with the lengths you go to........

That's just harsh.

Being Pro-Choice doesn't mean you're an advocate of abortion. I support the right to choose. I became pregnant at 14, and I wanted an abortion. Today I look at my son, and the fact that he was unwanted at one time kills me. He's the light of my life.

I am pro-choice, but I support people like this woman. She has an overwhelming cause and every right to rally against abortion. I may not agree with her, but I respect her. I respect anyone who is strong enough to try and make a difference by sharing their experience. I may not agree with her stance, but I'll damn sure listen.

willy_jack · 01-16-05, 07:41 PM

I guess all those doctors pro-lifers have killed did not have a right to life as well?

willy_jack · 01-16-05, 07:46 PM

I have a 7 year old son that I could have chosen to abort, but I never dreamed of it.

However, most of the pro-lifers I have ever met are hypocritical, full of shit asswipes that only reject it because the church says it is bad. Then they go out and murder abortion doctors to prove that abortion is murder???? Fuck them.

01-16-05, 08:19 PM

You personally know pro-lifers who have murdered abortion doctors? Come on...

Quote:

Originally Posted by willy_jack

However, most of the pro-lifers I have ever met are hypocritical, full of shit asswipes that only reject it because the church says it is bad. Then they go out and murder abortion doctors to prove that abortion is murder???? Fuck them.

willy_jack · 01-16-05, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tragicallyunhip

You personally know pro-lifers who have murdered abortion doctors? Come on...

Nope. Not personally, but how many pro-choicers you know thas killed abortion performing doctors?

01-16-05, 09:38 PM

Umm...that has to be the silliest counter-argument I've ever heard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by willy_jack

Nope. Not personally, but how many pro-choicers you know thas killed abortion performing doctors?

willy_jack · 01-16-05, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tragicallyunhip

You personally know pro-lifers who have murdered abortion doctors? Come on...

Maybe it was the silliest counter- argument...

Next to the one quoted above.

01-16-05, 02:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trey Brister Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Mansfield / S. Arlington Area Posts: 535	Abortion survivor to tell story Abortion survivor to tell story at rally THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Gianna Jessen testifies on Capitol Hill before a House subcommittee on abortion in 1996. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS By AMY WHITE BEE STAFF WRITER Last Updated: January 15, 2005, 06:28:27 AM PST Submit your event to the Faith and Values calendar today! Gianna Jessen came into the world as a surprise. Her 17-year-old mother knew she was pregnant. She also knew she didn't want to be. She underwent an abortion procedure, having toxic saline solution injected into the womb during the third trimester. Jessen, then in the womb for 7½ months, spent 18 hours in the solution. "It burns the baby inside and out," she said. "(The mother) is to deliver a dead baby within 24 hours." But when a 2-pound Jessen emerged, she was alive. "I did not die that day," Jessen said. "I was delivered alive in a Los Angeles County abortion clinic in a room full of teenage girls who had already had the saline injections and were feeling their children die inside of them." Jessen will tell her story Friday at a Sanctity of Life Rally in Modesto sponsored by the "11th Hour" TV program. Raised in California, Jessen lives in Nashville, Tenn. She has traveled the world since she was 14, telling of her experience. Jessen spent her first three months in a hospital incubator. Doctors at the hospital did not expect her to live, she said. But she did. She was then put in emergency foster care, before being placed at 17 months with a foster mother who would become her adoptive grandmother. Afflicted with cerebral palsy resulting from lack of oxygen in the womb, Jessen was "32 pounds of dead weight," she said. She wasn't expected to hold up her head, sit up, crawl or walk. Her foster mother worked with Jessen, who at age 3½ began to walk with a walker and leg braces. Today, she walks with a slight limp in her left leg. Jessen has done indoor rock climbing and is training for the Music City marathon in Nashville in a few months. She plans to take swing or tango dance lessons after that. Jessen also writes and performs songs, ranging from love ballads to social commentary. "Never say never," she said in a recent phone interview. "A person and God always have the opportunity to progress. No matter what point you are at, you can always do something, even if it is just the tiniest thing." On Christmas when she was 12, Jessen learned she had survived an abortion attempt. Before, when she had asked why she had cerebral palsy, her adoptive mother — the daughter of her foster mother — told her hers was a traumatic, premature birth. But that day when she asked, her mother decided Jessen was ready to hear the truth. She told her that her biological mother was young and without hope. "I was aborted, right?" Jessen asked. Her adoptive mother confirmed it. Jessen was calm. "It must have been the Lord, because I didn't freak out," Jessen remembered. "I totally believe that the Lord Jesus spared my life and I would not be walking today if it were not for the grace of God and the power of Christ. I know that when you need God to walk every day, you know that God is real." Jessen said she never dwelled on feelings of rejection, and someday wants to have or adopt children herself. Louise Shatswell, producer of "The 11th Hour," said she hopes those who hear Jessen will be touched by her story and "that their eyes will be opened to the reality of life at that stage of life." The rally will include a question-and-answer session with Jessen, as well as counselors and literature from the Modesto Pregnancy Center. It's impossible to know exactly how many babies survive abortion procedures, but it is rare, said Jessen, who met 11 others — ranging in age from young children to 65 years old — at a conference about 10 years ago. Shatswell thinks Jessen's appearance brings another view to a society that endorses the idea that "if you don't want it, get rid of it," she said. "I don't believe the majority of people who get abortions are really informed about what they are doing. "She is a living example of an unborn child being a child and not being a thing, a glob, an unidentified piece of nothing," Shatswell said. "It's a real-life living baby … and the sanctity of life that the Bible gives doesn't sanction killing a child, whether in the womb or outside the womb." If a woman told her she was considering an abortion, Jessen said she would listen to her, then lead her to a pregnancy crisis center for tests and counseling. "I would say that choosing to have an abortion is something she would never forget," said Jessen, who advocates adoption. "Can't we just give a little and say, 'I may not be the best mother for this child, but I love this child enough to sacrifice for it'?" she asked. "Isn't that the ultimate love?" Jessen is conscious that examples speak louder than words. She often talks to young people about the value of chastity, modesty and honor. She wants to remind people that all of their choices have consequences. "My biological parents made some really poor choices," she said. "I forgive them for what they did (but) I live every day with the result of the 'choice' that my biological mother made 27 years ago. So it's ridiculous to think our choices on a moment-by-moment basis only affect us. They always affect someone else, for good or ill." Jessen is sometimes unprepared for the grief that pours out from others when they hear her story. "Women who have had abortions have come up to me crying, saying, 'I wish I had never done this. I had no idea the pain I would live with for the rest of my life,'" she said. Men, too, have talked to her of feeling powerless or regretful about supporting an abortion. "At the end of the day, I do a lot of listening," Jessen said. It's not all listening. She met President Bush in 2002 and has appeared before Congress, including speaking against partial-birth abortion in 1999 and in support of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act in 2000. She said she doesn't often think about her mother's abortion. "I just spend my life trying to smile and overcome," she said. "Sometimes, it does hit me, 'Oh, my gosh, I was aborted; that's huge.' There are days I think about it and I think, 'This is amazing.' But my whole life has been, so far, kind of an adventure. I really look at life that way." Gianna Jessen will speak at 7 p.m. Friday in the Modesto High School auditorium. An interview with Jessen will appear on the "11th Hour" TV program from 6 to 7 a.m. Feb. 4. Check listings at www.11thhour.tv. For information about the program, call 526-9700. For more about Jessen, call 615-794-2964 or e-mail greenchairmusic@yahoo.com. Bee staff writer Amy White can be reached at 578-2318 or awhite@modbee.com. __________________ Warm Regards, Trey Brister Nature abhors a vacuum and religion is a powerful civilizing and socializing force. It is not perfect, but at least it does not deny human nature. Most leftest ideology is based upon the idea that evil is the result of social conditions/injustice, and simple misunderstandings. Man's nature is seen as both inherently good and infinitely malleable. It is believed that man can be made into something better through education and other social endeavors. The truth is that human nature is not inherently good and neither is terribly changable. Any system that denies the truth about human nature will be the victim of it. Communism is only one of the more horrific examples of this fundamental truth. I understand why you're a socialist. You want to make the world a better place. What you need to understand is that not everyone can be helped and those who can are best served by providing them with the opportunity to help themselves.

01-16-05, 04:59 PM	#4 (permalink)
Keith P Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dallas Posts: 11,123	I'm sorry but this method of aborting a child is completely inhumane. Even being pro choice it sounds like there should be serious restrictions to this practice. __________________ http://www.deadandre-buried.blogpost.com http://www.brokenteeth.org http://www.unitoneonline.com http://www.myspace.com/keithvip

01-16-05, 06:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
willy_jack Registered User Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: in my head Posts: 3,090	Every openly shoving it down your throat Pro- Life imbecile I have ever met are walking poster children for abortion in my honest opinion. edited because LEDS a fucking moron Last edited by willy_jack; 01-17-05 at 10:32 PM.

01-16-05, 06:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
dowNINit rollin' like a bigshot Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: ASSHOLEFUCKSHITCUNT Posts: 2,343	I think thats an old school form of abortion and now they have easier methods but of course im not an abortion doctor. __________________ cockfuck

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01-16-05, 04:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
willy_jack Registered User Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: in my head Posts: 3,090	you pro-life people amaze with the lengths you go to........

01-16-05, 04:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
Satchel Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Plaino Posts: 2,973	I wonder if you get a free daisy cutter for attending the sanctity of life rally

01-16-05, 07:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
willy_jack Registered User Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: in my head Posts: 3,090	I guess all those doctors pro-lifers have killed did not have a right to life as well?

01-16-05, 07:46 PM	#11 (permalink)
willy_jack Registered User Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: in my head Posts: 3,090	I have a 7 year old son that I could have chosen to abort, but I never dreamed of it. However, most of the pro-lifers I have ever met are hypocritical, full of shit asswipes that only reject it because the church says it is bad. Then they go out and murder abortion doctors to prove that abortion is murder???? Fuck them.