NOTICE: The following
article is written by the author itself and not by me, I am not trying to
violate their copyright. I will give some information on them. On this date,
August 29, 2013, it is the 36th birthday of Melissa Ohden, an
abortion survivor and Pro-Life activist. I admire and respect her a lot and her
story was one of many reasons that moved me to change from a supporter to an opponent of abortion.
PAGE TITLE: http://www.melissaohden.com/
ARTICLE TITLE: And the greatest of these is love
DATE: Wednesday August 14,
2013
AUTHOR: Melissa Ohden
AUTHOR
INFORMATION: Melissa
Ohden was born on
August 29, 1977. Medical records of her delivery at St. Luke’s Medical
Center, Sioux City, Iowa, indicate that she was admitted to intensive care on
that date after “Saline infusion for an abortion was done but was unsuccessful”
on August 24, 1977 and a pitocin drip was started on August 27 to induce
delivery.
She was erroneously estimated by medical
personnel at the time of the abortion to be about 18 weeks’ gestation, when in
fact she was closer to six or seven months’ gestation. The medical staff,
prompted by a nurse who heard Melissa's cries and observed her
moving after the abortion, did not expect her to live due to respiratory distress and
other complications.
Melissa, nonetheless, survived and was
adopted. She learned from her adoptive mother at age 14 about the
circumstances of her birth and sought to retrieve her medical records, which
are available along with other information on her website. She revealed
her biography publicly two years ago and has spoken to groups around the
country about the value of human life. She and her husband Ryan have a
daughter, Olivia, and live in Sioux City. http://www.sba-list.org/melissa
 |
| Melissa Ohden |
Truth.
Legislation. Love. When I’m asked about the most important tools that we can
utilize in the pro-life movement, these make up what I see as the three-legged
stool.
Each leg, on its
own, serves an important purpose. But they also work in a complementary way to
strengthen and support each another, thereby furthering the fight for life.
As pro-lifers, we
are armed with truth, and it’s that truth that drives our labors on behalf of
unborn children and their mothers. From understanding scientifically that life
begins from the moment of conception, to knowing fetal development, to
understanding fetal pain, here is truth that is open to any mind not already
closed tight.
Certainly, the
truth is also on our side in other ways that can’t be seen in a lab or under a
microscope. The testimonies of post-abortive men and women, abortion survivors,
surviving siblings, and former abortion clinic workers tell the truth that
abortion has devastating consequences that ripple across the generations.
Legislatively, one
need only look at the daily news feed from National Right to Life Today to see
that every day we take strides forward day in the fight for life. Regarding the
reality of fetal pain, even the New York Times [!] recently took grudging
notice of Mary Spalding Balch and the legislative efforts that she has so
effectively helped to shape as National Right to Life Director of State
Legislation. (The truth that the unborn child can experience pain by the 20th
week is, of course, based on science, that first leg of the three-legged stool
again).
Truth and
legislation, as we see, are essential and complementary tools in the pro-life
movement.
What about love?
To me, love is the
most important leg of the three-legged stool. We could not speak the truth if
we didn’t love the preborn, their mothers and fathers, their entire families.
We would not be nearly as motivated to make our culture a nobler one if we
didn’t genuinely care about those around us, especially those we have never
met. Without love, our message would be lacking in compassion, empathy, and
understanding.
My challenge to
each pro-lifer is the same one I make to myself: to consider how I have helped
to further strengthen each leg of the three legged stool of truth, legislation,
and love.
We may not all be
gifted to write legislation, but we can certainly contact legislators. We can
share information with others about various bills thereby also supporting the
second leg of the stool, truth.
We can provide
others with scientifically-based information so that they understand the
marvels of fetal development. You and I can help dispel the ugly myths that
surround abortion and “unwanted children” (which is how I started my day today
as I went through my emails).
The simplest, yet
seemingly sometimes the hardest thing that we can do, is love. But speaking in
love to someone who disagrees with us on the issue of abortion makes it
possible to share the truth with them. Showing love to a girl or woman who is
so distraught she contemplating abortion may save her and her baby. Giving love
to someone who is post-abortive helps her understand there IS forgiveness.
While we may not
be able to do something that relates to each leg of the three-legged stool of
truth, legislation and love each day, we can most certainly do something that
might seem insignificant.
I truly hope that
you take advantage of your day because every effort on behalf of the little
ones and their mothers–no matter how small–echoes with eternal significance.
