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Aborted and Lived To Tell About It
Townhall.com ^ | November 7, 2007 | Jon Sanders

Posted on 11/07/2007 5:37:53 PM PST by mdittmar

England is abuzz about "The Boy Who Lived," and no, his name isn't Harry Potter, but he did survive a deliberate attempt on his life. Two, in fact, while still in his mother's womb.

The boy, Gabriel Jones, was the weaker twin and had an enlarged heart. Doctors told his mother that they believed he would die in the womb, and if he did, they said, that would cause his brother to die, too.

The despondent mother, Rebecca Jones, agreed to terminate Gabriel to save his twin brother, Ieuan. First doctors attempted to sever his umbilical cord, but according to published reports, the cord proved too strong. So they halved Jones' placenta to allow Gabriel to die without harm to Ieuan.

Instead, the tiny boy thrived, and both children were born by caesarian section five weeks later. They are happy, healthy children, with the bright eyes, gummy smiles and wispy hair of adorable infants.

Gabriel and his family are thrice blessed. Many children who survive "failed abortions" face lifelong health problems or disabilities. And unlike Gabriel, they are born to mothers who didn't want the child to see the light of day. Likely unaware that failed abortion was a risk, they live with a potent brew of mixed emotions, including anger at the doctors, anger at themselves, maternal love and obligation to the children, and guilt and shame over the abortion and any after-effects the children suffer.

Some states even allow "wrongful birth" lawsuits in which mothers of "abortion survivors" have sought to recoup the costs of the abortion procedures, of care for a child facing medical problems owing to the failed abortion, and in a few states, of caring for a healthy child.

In 2004, a study in Great Britain found that 50 babies a year live through abortion attempts there. In the U.S., in 2002 Congress passed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which made it the law of the land that a child who survives an abortion attempt is immediately entitled to emergency medical treatment and is not to suffer neglect until he dies, as some hospitals had reportedly dealt with abortion survivors.

The most well-known abortion survivor is Gianna Jessen, who survived saline injection at seven and a half months. Jessen suffers cerebral palsy as a result, but she sings, runs marathons, and uses her example to fight abortion, traveling the world speaking out against the legal medical procedure that very nearly killed her. She has testified before state legislatures, Congress, and the House of Lords. Her amazing story can be read in Jessica Shaver's book Gianna: Aborted … and Lived to Tell About It.

Last year Jessen made a memorable appearance before the Colorado House of Representatives. She was invited to sing the national anthem there by Rep. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch. Her affliction caused her to lose her balance, and her nerves caused her to falter, and everyone present joined with her to encourage her.

When she was done, Harvey introduced her to the chamber. He spoke of her cerebral palsy from a traumatic birth, her life in foster homes before being adopted, how she struggled even to lift her head, then crawl and walk, and how she now runs in marathons to raise awareness of cerebral palsy. Harvey called her a modern day hero, and Jessen received a standing ovation.

Harvey wasn't done. On the docket that day was a resolution to honor the 90th anniversary of the Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood clinic. Harvey then revealed the cause of Jessen's cerebral palsy: the failed abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic. He was gaveled down, of course, but he told the Speaker, "I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today."

House Democrats fumed. Majority Leader Alice Madden told the Denver Post that Harvey had been "amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."

Jessen, who presumably would have known she had been used, told the Post, "We need to discuss the humanity of it [abortion]. I'm glad to be able to speak up for children in the womb. If abortion is about women's rights, where were my rights?"

It's no coincidence that we speak of the miracle of childbirth. But it is especially miraculous when God preserves the life of a baby whose mother chose to abort only because it seemed the only way to preserve the life of his twin -- thus out of her despair seeing her hope and joy divinely restored. And it is awe-inspiring when he raises up another miraculous abortion survivor to go to the halls of power across the world and speak out against the grisly practice.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; abortionsurvivor; twins
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1 posted on 11/07/2007 5:37:54 PM PST by mdittmar
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To: mdittmar
House Democrats fumed. Majority Leader Alice Madden told the Denver Post that Harvey had been "amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."

Democrats!

2 posted on 11/07/2007 5:42:24 PM PST by Jeff Chandler ("The bourgeoisie will remember my carbuncles until their dying day," -Karl Marx)
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To: mdittmar
House Democrats fumed. Majority Leader Alice Madden told the Denver Post that Harvey had been "amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."

Hypocrites!

3 posted on 11/07/2007 5:42:28 PM PST by Jeff Chandler ("The bourgeoisie will remember my carbuncles until their dying day," -Karl Marx)
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To: mdittmar

Sorry about the double post.


4 posted on 11/07/2007 5:42:31 PM PST by Jeff Chandler ("The bourgeoisie will remember my carbuncles until their dying day," -Karl Marx)
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To: mdittmar
Last year Jessen made a memorable appearance before the Colorado House of Representatives. She was invited to sing the national anthem there by Rep. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch. Her affliction caused her to lose her balance, and her nerves caused her to falter, and everyone present joined with her to encourage her.

When she was done, Harvey introduced her to the chamber. He spoke of her cerebral palsy from a traumatic birth, her life in foster homes before being adopted, how she struggled even to lift her head, then crawl and walk, and how she now runs in marathons to raise awareness of cerebral palsy. Harvey called her a modern day hero, and Jessen received a standing ovation.

Harvey wasn't done. On the docket that day was a resolution to honor the 90th anniversary of the Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood clinic. Harvey then revealed the cause of Jessen's cerebral palsy: the failed abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic. He was gaveled down...House Democrats fumed...

He exposed the hateful reality of the anti-life movement in an elegant and simple way, bypassing the robotic programming in place which comfortably keeps pro-aborts in a more convenient rhetorical climate. Simply beautiful (and I'm not surprised that this is the first I heard of it).

5 posted on 11/07/2007 5:55:40 PM PST by M203M4 (The Tancredo, Thompson, and Hunter wing of the party - preventing the Rs from Whigging out.)
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To: Jeff Chandler

Hardly a double post. Both statements needed to be made. Thank you!


6 posted on 11/07/2007 5:56:14 PM PST by sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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To: mdittmar

bmflr


7 posted on 11/07/2007 5:56:26 PM PST by Kevmo (We should withdraw from Iraq — via Tehran. And Duncan Hunter is just the man to get that job done.)
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To: Jeff Chandler

Monsters


8 posted on 11/07/2007 6:00:00 PM PST by skr (How majestic is Thy Name, O Lord, and how mighty are Thy Works!)
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To: mdittmar

I would hate to be in the position of this family. I am so happy for them for how it worked out. It must have been an unbearable time thinking that whole time she would lose both of her babies.


9 posted on 11/07/2007 6:01:16 PM PST by Mr. Blonde (You ever thought about being weird for a living?)
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To: mdittmar
To be perfectly honest, I'm skeptical of this story, mostly because it first appeared in the Daily Mail, a British tabloid-type publication, and secondly because doctors have tools to cut through bones if necessary - how come they were unable to cut an umbilical cord? Third, I don't think that a divided placenta would be able to support either fetus. So I'm not saying it's impossible for this to have happened, just highly improbable that it happened especially in the way that it was described.
10 posted on 11/07/2007 6:04:39 PM PST by Hyzenthlay (Halo 3 is making me realise that Microsoft is not entirely evil.)
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To: mdittmar
Harvey wasn’t done. On the docket that day was a resolution to honor the 90th anniversary of the Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood clinic. Harvey then revealed the cause of “Jessen’s cerebral palsy: the failed abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic. He was gaveled down, of course, but he told the Speaker, “I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today.”
House Democrats fumed. Majority Leader Alice Madden told the Denver Post that Harvey had been “amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics.”

What a vile and evil person Ms Madden is, but I guess that is why she is a democrat! They actually celebrate PP anniversaries? Sick.

11 posted on 11/07/2007 6:10:37 PM PST by MaggieM (Tanti galli a cantar non fa mai giorno ( Too many chiefs, not enough warriors))
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To: MaggieM

“Harvey had been “amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics.”

Well, golly gosh...my head is spinning...

It’d OK to celebrate 90 years of murdering human beings, and therefore “use () human being(s) as a()example(s) of () personal politics” but celebrating the miraculous life of a young, and courageous lady is an athema....


12 posted on 11/07/2007 6:27:54 PM PST by Tennessee Nana
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To: mdittmar
Majority Leader Alice Madden told the Denver Post that Harvey had been "amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."

Yeah?! Then WTF are you doing with SCHIP, huh?? Using kids as props to advance your agenda! Hypocrites.
13 posted on 11/07/2007 7:24:01 PM PST by G8 Diplomat (Pelosi--pissed off Turkey, supported SCHIP, really jerky, and full of sh|t)
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To: mdittmar

bookmark


14 posted on 11/07/2007 7:40:23 PM PST by GOP Poet
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To: mdittmar
"So they halved Jones' placenta to allow Gabriel to die without harm to Ieuan."

Remind me to tune in tomorrow for the rest of this macabre Science Fiction thread.

15 posted on 11/07/2007 7:45:04 PM PST by Radix (When I became a man, I put away childish things)
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To: Tennessee Nana

They truly are the Party of death and destruction!


16 posted on 11/07/2007 8:13:57 PM PST by MaggieM (Tanti galli a cantar non fa mai giorno ( Too many chiefs, not enough warriors))
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To: Coleus; nickcarraway; narses; Mr. Silverback; Canticle_of_Deborah; TenthAmendmentChampion; ...

Abortion stops a baby’s beating heart.

Pro-Life PING

Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

17 posted on 11/13/2007 2:47:48 PM PST by cpforlife.org (A Catholic Respect Life Curriculum is available at KnightsForLife.org)
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To: mdittmar; Jeff Chandler
The original Daily Mail article has a wonderful picture of the two baby boys. Somebody who's more cyber-adept than I am should post those pictures on this thread!

I agree that medical description seems improbable. However it does seem that the doctor (Voldemort?) did try to kill the kid, and it didn't work. In this country, it happens hundreds of times a year, making it almost a daily occurrence --- kids surviving abortion attempts --- but you hardly ever hear about it.

18 posted on 11/13/2007 3:25:44 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o (Sorry: Tag-line presently at the dry cleaners. Please find suitable bumper-sticker instead.)
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To: Hyzenthlay

It’s a very true story and has appeared in many news articles. The only controversial thing is that it is believed that halving the placenta may actually be what allowed the second twin to survive.


19 posted on 11/14/2007 7:40:16 AM PST by Kaylee Frye
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To: Kaylee Frye

Ok... when I first heard about it I couldn’t find it on CNN or Fox or any of the other news websites I had bookmarked.

BTW, nice username =)


20 posted on 11/14/2007 11:32:12 AM PST by Hyzenthlay (Halo 3 is making me realise that Microsoft is not entirely evil.)
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