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US
CONGRESS
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On
April 22, the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee
on the Constitution held a hearing on "The Origins
and Scope of Roe v. Wade," which focused in
part on the little-understood fact that the
Supreme Court has legalized abortion during
the final months of pregnancy. Among the witnesses
who testified before the subcommittee were Gianna
Jessen, who in 1977 survived an attempted saline
abortion at 7 1/2 months. Her testimony appers
below.
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unusual hush fell - even at the press tables and
among the pro-abortion lobbyists - as Gianna's
rivering words echoed through the high ceiling
hearing room. Afterwards, Congressman Henry Hyde
said, "I mark Gianna Jessen's testimony as one
of the high points of my life. I have seen somebody
come back from the jaws of hell... and say, God
love you, I am honored to be in the same room
with you." |
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Her Testimony: |
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My name is Gianna Jessen. I am 19 years of age.
I am originally from California, but now reside
in Franklin, Tennessee. |
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I am adopted. I have cerebral palsy. My biological
mother was seventeen years old and seven-and-one-half
months pregnant when she made the decision to
have a saline abortion. I am the person she aborted.
I lived instead of died. |
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Fortunately for me the abortionist was not in
the clinic when I arrived alive, instead of dead,
at 6:00 a.m. on the morning of April 6, 1977.
I was early, my death was not expected to be seen
until about 9 a.m., when he would probably be
arriving for his office hours. I am sure I would
not be here today if the abortionist would have
been in the clinic, as his job is to take life,
not sustain life. Some have said I am a "botched
abortion." A result of a job not well done. |
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There were many witnesses to my entry into this
world. My biological mother and other young girls
in the clinic, who also awaited the death of their
babies, were the first to greet me. I am told
this was a hysterical moment. Next was a staff
nurse who aparently called emergency medical services
and had me transferred to a hospital. |
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I remained in the hospital for almost three months.
There was not much hope for me in the beginning.
I weighed only two pounds. Today babies smaller
than I was have survived. |
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a doctor once said I had a great will to live
and that I fought for my life. I eventually was
able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster
care. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a
result of the abortion. |
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My foster mother was told that it was doubtful
that I would ever crawl or walk. I could not sit
up independently. Through the prayers and dedication
of my foster mother, and later many other people,
I eventually learned to sit up, crawl, then stand.
I walked with leg braces and a walker shortly
before I turned age four. |
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I was legally adopted by my foster mother's daughter,
Diana DePaul, a few months after I began to walk.
The Department of Social Services would not release
me any earlier for adoption. |
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I have continued in physical therapy for my disability,
and after a total of four surgeries, I can now
walk without assistance. It is not always easy.
Sometimes I fall, but I have learned how to fall
gracefully after falling for 19 years. |
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I am happy to be alive. I almost died. Everyday
I thank God for life. I do not consider myself
a by-product of conception, a clump of tissue,
or any other of the titles given to a child in
the womb. I don not consider any person conceived,
to be any of those things. |
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I have met other survivors of abortion. They are
all thankful for life. Only a few months ago I
met another saline abortion survivor. Her name
is Sarah. She is two years old. Sarah also has
cerebral palsy, but her diagnosis is not good.
She is blind and has severe seizures. The abortionist,
besides injecting the mother with saline, also
injects the baby victims. Sarah was injected in
the head. I saw the place on her head where this
was done. |
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I speak, I speak not only for myself, but for
the other survivors, like Sarah, and also for
those who cannot yet speak. |
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Abortion is not the solution people say it is.
It is not slo\\olution. It is murder. Abortion
violates the right to life. I was just as much
a person when I was aborted as I am today. You
will have a hard time convincing me otherwise.
You will have a jhard time convincing me that
abortion helps women when I meet woman after woman,
every day, who tell me of their grief and heartache
caused by abortion. They tell me "no one really
told me it was a baby." None of thes e women talk
of "tissue." They speak of the children they lost
at the hands of the abortionist and with the blessing
of our legislators. |
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Today, a baby is a baby when convenient. It is
"tissue" or otherwise when the time is not right.
A baby is a baby when miscarriage takes place
at two, three, four months. A baby is called tissue
or clumps of cells when an abortion takes place
at two, three, four months. Why is that? I see
no difference. What are you seeing? Many close
their eyes. |
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Youth today are seeing their siblings killed through
abortion. This devalues life. Teens are disappointed.
I have files of letters written to me by young
people form all around our nation telling of their
disappointment in our society in America. They
have no respect for a government which allows
life to be thrown away. They see leadership in
our country fighting over our most important asset...
life. |
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The best thing I can show you to defend life is
my life. It has been a great gift. Killing is
not the answer to any question or situarion. Show
me how it is an answer. |
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There is a quote which is etched into the high
ceilings of one of our stat's capitol buildings.
The quote says, "Whatever is morally wrong, is
not politically correct." Abortion is morally
wrong. Our country is shedding the blood of the
innocent. America is killing her future. |
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All life is valuable. All life is a gift from
our Creator. We must receive and cherish the gifts
we are given. We must honor the right to life. |
