#gianna jessen

[anamericangirl]

Just letting you know, the anon feature is still on.

I've spent most of my formative years in leftist spaces and have been transitioning to more central-right ones over the few months. It's been interesting to see the other side of the argument. Being around here has helped me mentally acknowledge the humanity of unborn babies. However, I still struggle with the lack of empathy that unborn babies are a clump of cells narrative has fostered within me. Do you have any tips or book recommendations to help me with that?

Furthermore, I need clarification on the Slippery Slope argument. This has been difficult for me to understand, let alone sympathize with. My feelings are complex, but I'll simplify them. My essential source of frustration is the lack of diverse representation. I feel like the argument focuses on the worst possible LGB individuals with no thought toward the normal LGB individuals who most likely disagree with how the community acts. I was raised religiously (mainly Protestant with Catholic influence) and know fundamentalist Christians' views on homosexuality. We don't all support transgender people, drag queens, or pride parades. I'm OK with legalizing gay marriage but keeping it separate from the Church. But no, people like me aren't seen, just the ones causing the most outrage. At the end of the day, I can't control what people think or feel, but I am still frustrated. 

Yeah I turned anon back on because the problem people were just making throw away accounts to continue their trolling and I've found blocking them is a much better solution.

I am so glad you have been able to start seeing the truth through the many lies, especially when it comes to abortion and I think knowing that the clump of cells narrative has created a lack of empathy is a good sign that you're already on the way out of that mindset. But you're definitely not alone there. The culture surrounding abortion doesn't only impact pro-choicers this way. I think even a lot of pro-lifers have been desensitized to the idea of abortion and have to be careful not to lose empathy.

One thing that has helped me is listening to testimonies of both abortion survivors and women who have had abortions.

Gianna Jessen has a powerful testimony and I also recommend abortion survivor Melissa Ohden.

There is also this testimony from a man who was conceived in rape.

I also recommend the testimony of Nancy Kelly, who chose life for her twins after she was raped. She also has had two abortions. One was a partial birth abortion and she remembers hearing her baby scream. It's very powerful.

As for books, I don't have any personal recommendations as of right now, but students for life has what looks like a great book list that I am planning on reading my way through.

Hearing people share their stories and talk about their experiences usually works to help me when I feel a lack of empathy, and I hope it can help you too.

As for the second portion, the frustration you feel is totally understandable. I think arguments tend to focus on the worst individuals of any group because focusing on normal people isn't newsworthy. I feel the same way about the way Christianity is portrayed a lot, honestly. Because a headline that reads Christians and LGBT Are Normal People isn't as interesting as the alternative. While most people in any large group are going to be completely normal, it's usually the not normal ones that are the loudest and the news outlets end up using them to represent the whole.

The slippery slope is not so much in regard to individual people like you living their lives normally and not supporting terrible things, but it's about the cultural shift and the narrative being pushed by those who own it.

So while the majority of people in that community may be completely sane, the people controlling the narrative are not. It went very quickly from just legalizing gay marriage to bake the cake bigot, compelled speech with the pronoun nonsense, and now trying to force it onto children. That's the slippery slope. And it’s not being created by the majority of the community who have common sense, it’s pushed by the worst people of the community, who go cry to the media when someone won’t bake a cake for their wedding and then the media picks it up and puts it on blast. They also work to create hostility against people who don’t want drag queen story hours or kids at drag shows or pride parades. But i can understand the frustration because when that’s how the media paints you that’s what people start to think of when they think of that community.

[cannellebelle]

8 mars 2024 !

Réflexion sur la vie.... et l’avortement ! Témoignage de Gianna Jessen rescapée d’un avortement salin !

Hommage au courage d’une femme que je mets en avant aujourd’hui ! Gianni Jessen, elle a survécu à un avortement pratiqué à Los Angeles….ironique n’est pas ! Oui elle est un ange sur terre ! Son témoignage résonne en moi et me fait réfléchir, et si l’avortement était le pire crime à l’endroit des femmes ! l’avortement devient banal alors que l’on tue un petit qui désormais aurait été viable…

[amicidomenicani]

Question Thanks to your column, which I follow daily, I have had the chance to deepen my knowledge on many subjects and understand some positions of the Church which were unknown to me: I really appreciate it as it is indeed a unique and really profound service. Below are some questions which I‘d rather ask together, although they are of a very different nature. I apologize right now for any prolongings but they are on quite complex issues on which  I often reflect upon as I want to try to follow Christian values and ,despite my many struggles,  I would like to be a witness, too. The first is about abortion. In the Church I usually go to for confession there is a beautiful proposal for the examination of conscience; there is one aspect that is related to it and I wonder if I commit a sin thinking in a certain way. Every time I have talked with my confessors I have never been displeased and have total trust in their advice. However, I would like to look for other opinions as this is such a delicate subject. I oppose abortion from both a spiritual point of view (sacredness of life in every form) and a social one; we have indeed seen how abortion could be a sort of Trojan horse to profit on the weakest ones under the disguise of freedom and independence, without providing real help to women , their children and their families living in discomfort…but on the contrary, adding pain to pain. Yet, it is not for me to pass judgment and sometimes I hear of stories that are so complicated and painful besides heartrending choices that I become unable to have a personal opinion. Moreover, confronted with a pain and a choice which could be result of a different sensitivity in circumstances I do not understand, I prefer saying nothing and entrusting to God these issues even further (abstractly speaking and thinking about news stories, I have never had a chance to confront myself with women thinking to have an abortion).  Furthermore, I read that sometimes, for lack of anything else, some  attend private clinics that are very risky with tragic outcomes: therefore, the lack of a rule does not help and despair can lead to very dangerous acts. For these reasons, I believe that a legislation (also present in Italy) allowing abortion within certain limits is not wrong. However, this has to be presented as a desperate solution in desperate cases and not as a conquest of rights; it also has to be always discouraged, first and foremost at an institutional level by providing material and moral aid to difficult situations, enhancement of medical research, by educating to wait,to respect, to responsibility and love… by increasing testimonies of people who went through difficult experiences so that these could enlighten us and give us the strength (take for example Gianna Jessen but also several more ordinary but eloquent situations)... by strengthening families’ advisors towards a pro-life commitment…  All that without excluding the possibility to have an abortion. In other words: “it is true, you have the chance to have an abortion, however, there is a community sorrounding you that will do everything possible to welcome you as a woman and a mother, and help you with your life and your baby’s  not to be afraid”. My second question has to do with the way you manage your anger. I do not consider myself a very short-tempered person. However, when I get angry, I sometimes realize it is a matter of principles, pride and lack of humility. It makes me suffer terribly but I know it is on my account and hope I will be able to improve through goodwill, prayer, confession and communion. Sometimes, however, I feel within myself that, after several attempts, I have no other choice left but an abrupt and direct response as well as a steady voice tone. When I feel angry, I pray before expressing myself, generally I pray the rosary which I try to pray every day. My prayer is certainly not perfect, however, so

metimes a little silence helps me to reflect and put aside pride; sometimes it does not work and I act according to my pride and my own convenience (I would lie, if I said it is not so) but other times I feel calmer, maybe more lucid and avoid offending deliberately, although anger remains and transpires, as if it was a fire. In any case, after that, I experience feelings of guilt, and sometimes this is due to the awareness of my mistakes and to the sorrow of having hurt someone else. Other times, instead, it seems mostly caused by fear of people’s judgment and need for approval, which would not go lost, if I kept silent. In the first case the sense of guilt seems licit to me and helps me to improve myself, in the latter it is not. However, I really struggle to distinguish the differences. I ask you of any tips you might know in order  to discern amongsts these cases. I send you my many thanks for your help and I will keep you in my prayers. Answer from the priest Dear sister, First of all, I apologise for the delay of my replies. I have come across your letter just today. 1. The first issue you place that is abortion is particularly painful. However, it is always necessary to face reality without turns of phrase. What is voluntary abortion if not the murder of a baby? Well, everyone can answer the following question: in which cases is it licit to kill a baby? 2. Here is the solution to the problem. It is Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “If you hear that a woman does not want to keep her baby and wishes to have an abortion, try to convince her to bring the baby to me. I will love him, seeing in him the sign of God’s love”. John Paul II wanted to repeat these words during the homily of beatification of Mother Teresa (see L’Osservatore Romano, 20-21 October 2003, page 8). 3. Thus, legislation has to move in this direction, the only one which, among other things, avoid the permanent drama lived by a woman who has had an abortion. 4. As for the second issue: in the Tabula aurea of Peter of Bergamo (a sort of dictionary which refers to several subjects that are dealt in Saint Thomas works) you can read: “Tongue is prone to sin as it is mobile and is the immediate tool of the heart, it also becomes rea (guilty) on its behalf only when it follows a sinful mind”. 5. In this regard, Saint Thomas makes Saint Augustine’s thought its own: “It depends on how the assertion proceeds from the heart as what makes a tongue sinful is the perverseness of the heart” (Summa Theologiae, II-II, 98, 1, ad 3). 6. The sorrow one feels while reacting to evil is a natural fact. It is an authentic sorrow.  But sorrow is a feeling. It is not a synonym for bad will. For the discomfort you may feel while making an observation, despite this being gently made, or while raising your voice as well, is not a sin. Nor is causing some pain to the person, whom you make the observation, to be considered a sin, if this is made by the appropriate means. 7. Also Jesus raised his voice when he railed against the scribes and the Pharisees.  He did thus not sin by eliciting sadness and evil thoughts in them, as when he said with vehemence: “"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.' Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? (Matthew, 23:13-17). I wish you well, I will remind you to the Lord and bless you. Father Angelo

[dank-pro-life-memes]

[craigtowens]

“I have met other survivors of abortion. They are all thankful for life.” —Gianna Jessen

[protruth-prochoice]

This is a prime example of how Gianna Jessen lies about her mother's abortion without actually saying the words, so she somehow thinks this makes her not responsible for the lie she promotes. I pray for this seemingly impossible thing today -- for Gianna to realize spreading lies about her birth like this isn't okay, no matter how much she hates Planned Parenthood, or thinks lying in God's name is justified, or lying to "save babies" is justified, or is legitimately angry about her now-deceased birth mother may or may not have received bad counseling there, or angry they may have given Tina Holder a list of doctors that did later abortions than Planned Parenthood did. That what is actually inspirational and spiritual about being hated as Jesus was hated is that Jesus didn't lie, nor did He let others lie for Him when He could stop it, nor did He repeat lies except to correct them. The moment you stray from the Truth, you aren't being righteously hated. You can glory all you want in thinking people hate you because you speak the name of Jesus, Gianna. You're insulting His name. No, the right people stopped being moved by your story starting from whatever did change you in 2006. Whether it was meeting the psycho who claimed to be Tina or not, I don't know, but something did. Maybe it wasn't that meeting, because when you first talked about it you still didn't mention Planned Parenthood. Maybe it was that day with Ted Harvey, where you could have said to the reporters who were saying you'd been born at Planned Parenthood, or to Harvey himself, the truth.... but chose not to. That was the day you began straying from the path of truth. Before that, had anyone other than this psycho truly been vile to *you*? Maybe your mom Diana, because they worried you were being exploited, but you? Compare to now. You had hecklers all the way across Ireland. Perhaps because they can smell BS when it's being Tweeted? Like that 16 days lie. Perhaps 16 days after a 5-day-old embryo is transferred, but it is more like 22-23 days post-fertilization. Maybe that doesn't seem like a huge difference -- but isn't it amazing enough by itself to say instead of "16 days"? Why isn't 22 days just as cool? To me, it is. But when I hear someone say one lie, and pin a reTweet of another, much worse, about themselves, I know this person has lost touch with what is true and what is not. What is True and what is not. Why isn't your actual truth compelling enough, even in your OWN eyes, to stand in it alone? I pray for you to realize this, Gianna -- that the lying about Planned Parenthood, even carefully distanced lying so you can't get sued for defamation, isn't helping the pro-Life cause. It only damages it.

[proofdirectory]

Gianna Jessen: Abortion Survivor Thankful For Life 

Gianna Jessen, (1977) is an American pro-life and disability rights activist. She is a survivor of a failed saline abortion attempt when her 17-year-old biological mother was seven-and-a-half months pregnant with her. Gianna was born 2½ pounds. Jessen has cerebral palsy, which she traces directly to the lack of oxygen to her brain during the failed abortion. Despite spending the first years of…

[cristianesimocattolico]

Gianna Jessen, la bambina di Dio sopravvissuta all’aborto

Gianna Jessen è personalità ormai nota a livello internazionale. La madre diciassettenne ha provato ad abortirla, ma lei è sopravvissuta. Non si stanca mai di raccontare la sua stessa storia, in tutto il mondo, perché è nel segno della speranza: la vita è più forte della morte e, in Gesù Cristo, ha la sua vittoria definitiva.

di Marco Farnesi (11-12-2018)

Gianna Jessen è personalità così nota a livello internazionale che, ormai, paiono superflui i preamboli per raccontarne la storia. Ma non ci si stanca di riproporla e approfondirla, perché è nel segno della speranza: la vita è più forte della morte e, in Gesù Cristo, ha la sua vittoria definitiva.

Siamo a Los Angeles, nel 1977, quando i genitori biologici di Gianna, diciassettenni, decidono di essere troppo giovani per dare alla luce la creatura che hanno concepito. La madre si presenta così a una clinica abortista per praticare un aborto salino. Con esso, una sostanza viene iniettata nel grembo materno al fine di ustionare, soffocare e uccidere il bambino, destinato a essere partorito morto entro 24 ore. Gianna lotta per 18 ore nel ventre di sua madre e nasce viva alle ore 6 del 6 aprile, con un peso inferiore al chilogrammo. Il medico abortista di turno è assente, altrimenti non avrebbe esitato ad ovviare all’“inconveniente” strangolando o semplicemente gettando nei rifiuti la bambina. Gianna capita invece tra le mani di un'infermiera che la trasferisce in un ospedale, dove è collocata nell’incubatrice. E’ poi affidata alle cure di Penny, la sua futura nonna adottiva (morta cinque anni fa), nella cui casa-famiglia Gianna è accudita: “quanto ho amato Penny – dice Gianna – per tutto quello che ha dato a me e ad altri 56 orfani, che ha allevato da sola”. Nonostante le previsioni pessimistiche dei medici (“la bambina non potrà vivere a lungo; non potrà tenere sollevata la testa; non potrà camminare”, ecc.), Gianna cresce, pur con una paralisi cerebrale dovuta al tentato aborto, che si manifesta soprattutto nella ridotta mobilità degli arti inferiori.

Oggi Gianna gira il mondo per testimoniare la fede e la forza di Cristo e per promuovere la difesa della vita umana in ogni fase e condizione. La incontriamo a Pavia alla prima tappa del suo più recente tour di incontri in Italia, coordinati da Pro Vita onlus. Come è stato possibile salvarsi da un tentativo di aborto così aggressivo e crescere in questo modo? Gianna, di confessione evangelica, non ha dubbi: “è per il potere assoluto di Gesù Cristo, al quale nulla è impossibile”.

Che “prove” hai per dire che è stato Gesù Cristo in persona a salvarti?

Ho conosciuto Gesù a tre anni e ho subito compreso che Lui è tutto per me. Lo vedo, lo sento, avverto la Sua presenza a fianco a me ogni giorno. Per chi ha fede, non possono esservi dubbi, tanti sono i segni della Sua azione: non mi sono data la vita da sola, non avrei potuto camminare, non potrei fare tutto quello che faccio, se non grazie a Lui.

Pensi che Egli abbia voluto affidarti una missione particolare?

Sicuramente mi ha dato la missione di ridere, perché lo faccio sempre! In realtà, me ne ha date diverse, credo. Ma la missione principale resta quella di raccontare quello che Gesù ha fatto per me e, attraverso questo, predicare il Vangelo di Gesù Cristo. A che servirebbe lottare soltanto per un ideale, per una causa, fosse anche quella – che ritengo importante – di difendere la vita prenatale? Se non proclamassi Gesù Cristo, e non provassi a far capire a chi incontro che ciascuno è amato da Dio, non gioverebbe a nulla né a me né agli altri.

Hai mai incontrato la tua madre biologica? L’hai perdonata?

Potrà sembrare sciocco ciò che dico: mi è stato più facile perdonare la mia madre biologica di quanto non lo sia perdonare le persone con cui si ha a che fare tutti i giorni. E’ più difficile perdonare le persone quando vi abbiamo a che fare di frequente. Io, comunque, sono cristiana e cerco di esserlo davvero. Una sera, alla fine di un evento in cui raccontavo la mia vicenda, la mia madre biologica si presentò dinanzi a me, senza preavviso: “io sono tua madre”. Mi parve come se l’universo intero mi crollasse addosso. Invocai ripetutamente il Signore perché mi aiutasse. Risposi: “signora – non per disprezzo, ma per porre una giusta distanza – sono cristiana e io la perdono”. E lei: “non voglio il tuo perdono”. Disse così probabilmente perché, accettando il perdono, avrebbe dovuto riconoscere ciò che aveva fatto. Io ribadii che la perdonavo, ma ella iniziò a inveire contro di me. Al che, le confermai che la perdonavo, ma che non le permettevo di insultarmi. Me ne andai e quella sera piansi per ore. Non ci siamo più viste né sentite. Avevo compreso che il mio compito era perdonarla, ma che solo Gesù può salvarla.

Chi ti ha cresciuto? E come hai conosciuto la vicenda della tua nascita?

Fui affidata alle cure di Penny. Venni però adottata da sua figlia, per cui Penny divenne la mia nonna adottiva: facile da dire, ma fu complicato da vivere. A 12 anni – era il giorno di Natale – chiesi, per l’ennesima volta, alla mia madre adottiva le ragioni della mia disabilità. La mia insistenza denotava, evidentemente, l’inquietudine interiore che vivevo. Così mi fu raccontata la mia vicenda.

Nelle tue testimonianze affermi che la paralisi cerebrale è un modo con cui Dio ti ha protetto e tuttora ti protegge. Dunque, è un dono: e come può essere un dono una simile sofferenza?

Mi rendo conto che è difficile da comprendere se non si vive questa condizione. Molti parlano di Gesù, ma in maniera sdolcinata e irreale. Ma quando ti rendi conto che hai bisogno di Gesù per ogni singola cosa, anche solo per compiere un passo; quando capisci che dunque Lui è tutto per te e, rivolgendoti a Lui, sperimenti il Suo amore, allora afferri che anche la sofferenza è un dono. La mia vita certo non è facile. Ma non mi interessa una vita facile, desidero una vita straordinaria.

Ogni anno al mondo sono praticati oltre 50 milioni di aborti. Sono 50 milioni di bimbi non nati, generazioni stroncate, lavoratori che mancheranno alla società… E’ un genocidio, una catastrofe. L’aborto è legale quasi ovunque, seppure in misure diverse. Come si combatte tutto questo?

Con la preghiera, soprattutto; e una persona alla volta. Non si possono convincere le persone a non uccidere il proprio figlio soltanto con la logica, perché si tratta di una battaglia spirituale. Perché logicamente puoi vedere un bambino che si sviluppa nell’utero, ma questo argomento, evidentemente, nella pratica di per sé non è vincente.

Molti pro life ripongono speranze nell’operato del Presidente Donald Trump.

Apprezzo molto quanto sta facendo per la vita. Credo che, anche grazie ai nuovi giudici da lui nominati alla Corte Suprema degli Stati Uniti, si potrà quantomeno [ribaltando l’impostazione della storica sentenza Roe vs. Wade, ndr] riportare la questione dell’aborto legale dal livello federale alle scelte dei singoli stati.

[anamericangirl]

Just a confession, sorry for the rambling: I think what killed the whole pro choice movement for me was the fact that there are abortion survivors, aka a "clump of cells" survived (funny how that works). If you're an abortion survivor you can go here: https://abortionsurvivors.org/

Calling someone a survivor seems to imply 1. This is a disastrous and traumatic 2. They're living. They *survived* that. It doesn't matter that there's not many of them, that does not make it less traumatic and hard on each and every individual.

Also in my country? Abortion is continuously stood against, because guess what? Female foeticide (another term that implies its a kill) is a thing. Some people don't realize in advocating for abortion, you're basically advocating for the reduction of women in places like mine. Maybe my country is the only one that reports these things because its so widespread. Who knows? In some places to make it sound better they call it *sex selective abortion*.

Abortion doesn't help people, please stop spreading the misinformation that people tell you. If you think you need to abort your child, please consider every other option and support before coming to that decision. Whatever you do is between you and God.

No need to apologize for rambling, especially since what you're saying is correct - and important.

The very fact that a person can survive an abortion when we are constantly told by the pro-choice crowd that abortion doesn't kill anyone blows that whole argument out of the water.

And thank you for sharing the link for abortion survivors! I don't think enough people are aware that there are even organizations and resources out there for abortion survivors. It's such a shame because people who survive abortion are still treated as unwanted by the pro-choice crowd. There is a stigma attached to their entire existence and the fact that you survived abortion is swept under the rug because of the bad look it gives abortion and its supporters.

I encourage people to listen to the testimonies of abortion survivors like Gianna Jessen, Melissa Ohden and Claire Culwell because they are so powerful and can tell the tale of abortions through a perspective that doesn't usually get shared.

If an abortion fails because a person lived that in itself proves that abortion kills.

I am glad that your country reports sex selective abortions and there is a strong stance against them and I wish it was the same here in the US. But when you advocate for abortion for any reason, as we do here, then pro-choicers have to make excuses for abortion for any reason, even if that reason is because the baby is female. It is my sincerest hope that we move that direction as well.

Thank you so much for sharing this "ramble" with me!

[fuegodelcielo]

Pronunciar el Nombre de Jesús incomoda a la gente tremendamente, pero yo no sobreviví para hacer que la gente se sienta cómoda, sobreviví para agitar un poco las cosas. ¡Me la paso bien haciéndolo!

Gianna Jessen.

Frases Cristianas!

[arisemybeloved]

Watch "Gianna Jessen - Abortion Survivor" on YouTube

"If abortion is merely about women's rights ladies and gentlemen then what were mine?" - Gianna Jessen (Abortion Survivor)

[frangipani-wanderlust]

Okay, so we’ve got Abby Johnson giving a speech now.

Gonna be honest, she is a very weak pro-life speaker.  Gianna Jessen would’ve been much more effective.  And, speaking personally, I’m not 100% she’s really changed her view on abortion so much as she has seen which way the the political wind is blowing and was smart enough to swap sides before she ended up on the wrong side of history.

And I have read her book and do not remember this “Beam me up, Scotty.” bit.  Which is not doing anything to alleviate my skepticism, I gotta say.

[tennesseewatchman-com-news-blog]

Abortion Survivor Speaks Hope for a Pro-life Future

Abortion Survivor Speaks Hope for a Pro-life Future

on 15 February, 2017 at 07:00

Faith and Freedom with Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver and Holly Meade, and Gianna Jessen… An 11-minute weekday radio program discussing hot topics in the area of religious liberty, the sanctity of human life and the family.

http://barbwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ff_02-15-17_final.mp3

Our special guest today on Faith and Freedom is Gianna Jessen. She survived a…

[kenrozy]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPF1FhCMPuQ)   Rare Aborted Baby Speaks Out!!  Gianna Jessen

[protruth-prochoice]

The Day Gianna Sold Out

I want to clarify before I continue.

Yes, it's probable that Gianna is making enough from her speaking engagements to pay for the medical expenses she will have the rest of her life and getting to see the world, not living in a mansion or driving a Lamborghini.

She has claimed that despite having cerebral palsy and therefore meeting the definition of disability since before age 22, she has not received any public assistance since age 18, even Medicare which she is entitled to. She made this claim while arguing that government healthcare is bad, and I know she has issues with parents being denied the ability to attempt even potentially futile care (truthfully, so do I) on severely disabled infants when another agency besides the government offers to cover it.

But my little brother and sister, grown now, adopted by a wonderful foster family but will be dependent on others forever, can't go on tours to pay for the damage their biological mother's choices while pregnant did to them. They're too damaged.

They will both need Medicare and Medicaid their entire lives. If she is going to claim to advocate for disabled children, why she thinks my little brother and sister don't deserve care is insanity.

So bear in mind that while I don't particularly object to her decision to opt-out of the Medicare/Medicaid she's entitled to, taking decisions away from people who don't have a voice or a choice is kind of what she preaches against. Yet another hopefully unintentional demonstration of the "pro-fetus" but not pro-life mentality.

-----

Gianna didn't necessarily "sell out" by money. She "sold out" when she first allowed someone to lie in her name about the circumstances of her birth in order to "save the unborn". She gave into the pressure to throw whatever might stick at an organization she believes is terrible, instead of sticking to her truth and demanding the correction be made immediately.

And she has still refused to see how this damages her credibility, how this damages the pro-life movement as a whole, or her part in it by letting the rumor continue unchallenged. By pinning Tweets that say it to her social media pages. By giving what readers of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" would recognize as an "Aes Sedai truth" that deliberately misleads.

In that fantasy series, people who had special powers weren't trusted not to abuse them. They agreed to take three Oaths on a special device that would literally stop them from breaking the Oaths. One was "I shall speak no word that is not true." They were famed manipulators, though, because they could spin the "truth" like a top and give misleading but true answers.

It's possible the Shaver biography is correct, and Tina Holder was referred to Allred by Planned Parenthood. We will never know now, because she is dead. Yet the evidence is clear that Planned Parenthood did not perform any procedures on Tina Holder. They did not attempt to abort Gianna. Especially if it was true that Tina had another abortion after giving birth to a live baby during one, any potential coercive counseling by Planned Parenthood in 1977 didn't override the fact Tina chose to go to Allred, chose to have the abortion, and allegedly chose to have another later. Their role in Gianna's disabilities is so minimal that while it may be true and as such if she's going to say Big Bad Planned Parenthood conned her mom, that's fine.

But it's NOT fine to let people outright say lies in your name, nor is it fine to craft your "truth" in front of Congress to mislead so many news outlets it's impossible to count and the lack of retractions nearly three years later is evident from Google.

Ever since Gianna started letting this lie be said unchallenged routinely and allowing her bookers to sell tickets to her events by claiming Planned Parenthood performed the abortion, she's refrained from showing off her birth certificate.

That's because it directly contradicts the myth.

----

June 16, 2006

Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor

by Ted Harvey, assistant minority leader, Colorado House

She sings the anthem to applause, then her secret is revealed to stunned silence.

I want to share with you an awesome experience I had in the Colorado House of Representatives on May 8. It is a humbling experience to look back and realize that God used me to play a role in His divine orchestration.

I was leaving the House chambers for the weekend when our Democrat speaker of the House announced that the coming Monday would be the final day of this year's General Assembly. He went on to state that there were still numerous resolutions on the calendar which we would need to be addressed prior to the summer adjournment. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned that one of the resolutions we would be hearing was being carried by the House Majority Leader Alice Madden, honoring the 90th anniversary of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

As a strong pro-life legislator I was disgusted by the idea that we would pass a resolution honoring this 90-year legacy of genocide. I drove home that night wondering what I could say that might pierce the darkness during the debate on this heinous resolution.

On Saturday morning, I took my 8-year-old son up to the mountains to go white-water rafting. The trip lasted all day. As we were driving home, exhausted and hungry, I remembered that I had accepted an invitation to attend a fundraising dinner that night for a local pro-life organization. One of my most respected mentors had personally called me several weeks earlier and asked me to attend, so I knew I'd have to clean up and head over.

After our meal, the executive director of the organization introduced the keynote speaker. I looked up and saw walking to the stage a handicapped young lady being assisted to the microphone by a young man holding a guitar.

Her name was Gianna Jessen.

Gianna said "Hello," welcomed everyone, and then sang three of the most beautiful Christian songs I have ever heard.

She then began to give her testimony. When her biological mother was 17 years old and seven and a half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to have an abortion. As God would have it, the abortion failed and a beautiful 2-pound baby girl was brought into the world. Unfortunately, she was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors thought that she would never survive. The doctors were wrong.

Imagine the timing! A survivor of a Planned Parenthood abortion arrived in town just days before the Colorado House of Representatives was to celebrate Planned Parenthood's "wonderful" work.

As I listened to Gianna's amazing testimony, the Lord inspired me to ask her if she could stay in Denver until Monday morning so that I could introduce her on the floor of the House and tell her story. Perhaps she could even begin the final day's session by singing our country's national anthem!

To my surprise she said she would seriously consider it. If she were to agree, she wanted her accompanying guitarist to stay as well. A lady standing in line behind me waiting to meet Gianna overheard our conversation and said that she would be willing to pay for the guitarist's room. Gianna then said that she would think about it.

As I was driving home from the banquet, my cell phone rang. It was Gianna, and she immediately said, "I'm in, let's ruin this celebration." Praise God!

When Monday morning came, I awoke at 6 a.m. to write my speech before heading to the Capitol. As I wrote down the words, I could sense God's help and I knew that this was going to be a powerful moment for the pro-life movement.

Following a committee hearing, I rushed into the House chambers just as the opening morning prayer was about to be given. Between the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, I wrote a quick note to the speaker of the House explaining that Gianna is an advocate for cerebral palsy. I took the note to the speaker and asked if I could have my friend open the last day of session by singing the national anthem. Without any hesitation the speaker took the microphone and said, "Before we begin, Representative Harvey has made available for us Gianna Jessen to sing the national anthem."

Gianna sang the most amazing rendition of The Star Spangled Banner that you could possibly imagine. Every person in the entire chamber was completely still, quiet and in awe of this frail young lady's voice.

Due to her cerebral palsy, Gianna often loses her balance, and shortly after starting to sing she grabbed my arm to stabilize herself, and I could tell that she was shaking. Suddenly, midway through the song, she forgot the words and began to hum and then said, "Please forgive me; I am so nervous." She then immediately began singing again and every House member and every guest throughout the chambers began to sing along with her to give her encouragement and to lift her up.

As I looked around the huge hall I listened to the unbelievable melody of Gianna's voice being accompanied by a choir of over 100 voices. I had chills running all over my body, and I knew that I had just witnessed an act of God.

As the song concluded the speaker of the House explained that Gianna has cerebral palsy and is an activist to bring awareness to the disease. "Let us give her a hand not only for her performance today, but also for her advocacy work," he said. The chamber immediately exploded into applause -- she had them all in the palm of her hand.

The speaker then called the House to order, and we proceeded as usual to allow members to make any announcements or introductions of guests. For dramatic effect, I waited until I was the last person remaining before I introduced Gianna.

As I waited for my turn, I nervously paced back and forth praying to God that he would give me the peace, confidence and the courage necessary to pull off what I knew would be one of the most dramatic and controversial moments of my political career.

While I waited, a prominent reporter from one of the major Denver newspapers walked over to Gianna and told her that her rendition captured the spirit of the national anthem more powerfully than any she had ever heard before.

Finally, I was the last person remaining. So, I proceeded to the microphone and began my speech.

"Members, I would like to introduce you to a new friend and hero of mine -- her name is Gianna Jessen. She is visiting us today from Nashville, Tennessee, where she is an accomplished recording artist.

She has cerebral palsy and was raised in foster homes before being adopted at the age of four.

She was born prematurely and weighed only 2 pounds at birth. She remained in the hospital for almost three months. A doctor once said she had a great will to live and that she fought for her life. Eventually she was able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster care.

Because of her cerebral palsy, her foster mother was told that it was doubtful that she would ever crawl or walk. She could not sit up independently. Through the prayers and dedication of her foster mother, she eventually learned to sit up, crawl, then stand. Shortly before her fourth birthday, she began to walk with leg braces and a walker.

She continued in physical therapy and after a total of four surgeries, she was able to walk without assistance.

She still falls sometimes, but she says she has learned how to fall gracefully after falling for 29 years.

Two years ago, she walked into a local health club and said she wanted a private trainer. At the time her legs could not lift 30 pounds. Today she can leg press 200 pounds.

She became so physically fit that she began running marathons to raise money and awareness for cerebral palsy. She just returned last week from England where she ran in the London Marathon. It took her more than eight-and-a-half hours to complete. They were taking down the course by the time she made it to the finish line. But she made it, nonetheless. With bloody feet and aching joints, she finished the race.

Members would you help me recognize a modern-day hero -- Gianna Jessen?"

At this point the chamber exploded into applause which lasted for 15-to-20 seconds. Gianna had touched their souls.

Ironically, Alice Madden, the majority leader and sponsor of the Planned Parenthood resolution, walked over to Gianna and congratulated her.

As the applause began to die down, I raised my hand to be recognized one more time.

"Mr. Speaker, members, if you would allow me just a few more moments I would appreciate your time.

My name is Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey, but, please, let me tell you the rest of the story.

The cause of Gianna's cerebral palsy is not because of some biological freak of nature, but rather the choice of her mother.

You see when her biological mother was 17-years-old and 7-and-a-half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to seek a late-term abortion. The abortionist performed a saline abortion on this 17-year-old girl. This procedure requires the injection of a high concentration of saline into the mother's womb, which the fetus is then bathed in and swallows, which results in the fetus being burned to death, inside and out. Within 24 hours the results are normally an induced, still-born abortion.

As Gianna can testify, the procedure is not always 100 percent effective. Gianna is an aborted late-term fetus who was born alive. The high concentration of saline in the womb for 24 hours resulted in a lack of oxygen to her brain and is the cause of her cerebral palsy.

Members, today, we are going to recognize the 90th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood…"

BANG! The gavel came down.

Just as I was finishing the last sentence of my speech -- the climax of the morning -- the speaker of the House gaveled me down and said, "Representative Harvey, I will allow you to continue your introduction, but not for the purposes of debating a measure now pending before the House."

At which point I said, "Mr. Speaker, I understand. I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today."

Silence.

Deafening silence.

I then walked back to my chair shaking like a leaf. The Democrats wouldn't look at me. They were fuming. It was beautiful. I have been in the Legislature for five tough years, and this made it all worthwhile.

The House majority leader wouldn't talk to me the rest of the day.

Was it because I introduced an abortion survivor, or was it because we touched her soul? She could congratulate an inspirational cerebral palsy victim and advocate, but was outraged when she discovered that the person she congratulated was also an abortion survivor.

The headline in The Denver Post the next day read "Abortion Jab Earns Rebuke." The majority leader is quoted as saying, "I think it was amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."

Yes, Representative Madden, Gianna Jessen is a human being. She was when she was in her mother's womb, and she was when she sang the national anthem on the floor of the Colorado House of Representatives.

The paper went on to quote Gianna, stating she was glad I told her story.

"We need to discuss the humanity of it. I'm glad to be able to speak up for children in the womb," she said. "If abortion is about women's rights, where were my rights?"

All I can say is, "Glory to God!" He orchestrated it all, every minute of it, and I was so honored to have been chosen to play a part. May we all continue to be filled with and to fight for the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ!

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These are Ted Harvey's actual words. He says over and over "a survivor of a Planned Parenthood abortion".

Gianna hasn't corrected anyone who has said this since.

And for her ministry to bear any good fruit, she must stop this lie.