No one could spend two minutes with this woman without being convinced it would be a tragedy for her to have been killed, as she nearly was in an attempted abortion. Gianna is an abortion survivor.
Gianna's website (http://www.giannajessen.com/) includes her biography as well as a sample of her music and information about Gianna by Jessica Shaver, the book that tells the incredible story of her survival.
Because I've met Gianna, I was especially interested in a recent Wall Street Journal interview with her, which focused on Gianna's thoughts about the upcoming presidential election. Here it is:Gianna Jessen does not quit. Giving up is not an option to her. Gianna has what
she refers to as the "gift" of Cerebral Palsy. She weighed a mere 2 lbs at birth
and the doctors said she would never be able to hold up her head, sit up, crawl
or walk. She began to walk by the age of three years old with the help of leg
braces and a walker.
Gianna doesn’t believe that her Cerebral Palsy takes away her life, but, rather, enriches it. . . she walks with a slight limp today and runs marathons.Gianna understands the plight of orphans, being one herself. She was placed into the foster care system early on in life, eventually being taken into the loving home of a woman named Penny. Penny has been a mother to 56 foster children in her life. Gianna was later adopted by Penny's daughter, making Penny Gianna's grandmother. According to Gianna, Penny saved her life.
Gianna is a Christian. Her life was given to her by the grace of God. She shouldn't be walking, but more miraculous still; she should not even be alive. Gianna's biological mother was 17 when she had a saline abortion in her third trimester. Many Americans don’t realize it is legal to have an abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. After being burned alive for approximately 18 hours in the womb from the saline solution, Gianna was delivered alive in a Los Angeles County abortion clinic. Her medical records state, "born during saline abortion"...this is what caused her Cerebral Palsy.
The Audacity of Death
By Daniel Allott
Wall Street Journal, June 5, 2008
According to Barack Obama, Gianna Jessen shouldn't exist.
Miss Jessen is an exquisite example of what antiabortion advocates call a "survivor." Well into her third trimester of pregnancy, Gianna's biological mother was injected with a saline solution intended to induce a chemical abortion at a Los Angeles County abortion center. Eighteen hours later, and precious minutes before the abortionist's arrival, Gianna emerged. Premature and with severe injuries that resulted in cerebral palsy. But alive.Had the abortionist been present at her birth, Gianna would have been killed, perhaps by suffocation. As it was, a startled nurse called an ambulance, and Gianna was rushed to a nearby hospital, where, weighing just two pounds, she was placed in an incubator, then, months later, in foster care.
Gianna survived then, and thrives now, because, as she told me recently with a laugh, "I guess I don't die easy." Which is what the abortionist might have thought as he signed his victim's birth certificate. Gianna's medical records state that she was "born during saline abortion."
As an Illinois state senator, Barack Obama twice opposed legislation to define as "persons" babies who survive late-term abortions. Babies like Gianna. Mr. Obama said in a speech on the Illinois Senate floor that he could not accept that babies wholly emerged from their mother's wombs are "persons," and thus deserving of equal protection under the Constitution's 14th Amendment.A federal version on the same legislation passed the Senate unanimously and with the support of all but 15 members of the House. Gianna was present when President Bush signed the Born Alive Infants Protection Act in 2002.
When I asked Gianna to reflect on Mr. Obama's candidacy, she paused, then said, "I really hope the American people will have their eyes wide open and choose to be discerning. . . . He is extreme, extreme, extreme."
"Extreme" may not be the impression the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have bought Mr. Obama's autobiography have been left with. In "The Audacity of Hope," Mr. Obama's presidential manifesto, he calls abortion "undeniably difficult," "a very difficult issue," "never a good thing" and "a wrenching moral issue."
He laments his party's "litmus test" for "orthodoxy" on abortion and other issues, and even admits, "I do not presume to know the answer to that question." That question being the moral status of the fetus, who he nonetheless concedes has "moral weight."
Those statements are seriously made but, alas, cannot be taken at all seriously. Mr. Obama has compiled a 100% lifetime "pro-choice" voting record, including votes against any and all restrictions on late-term abortions and parental involvement in teenagers' abortions.To Mr. Obama, abortion, or "reproductive justice," is "one of the most fundamental rights we possess." And he promises, "the first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," which would overturn hundreds of federal and state laws limiting abortion, including the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and bans on public funding of abortion.
Then there's Mr. Obama's aforementioned opposition to laws that protect babies born-alive during botched abortions. If partial-birth abortion is, as Democratic icon Daniel Patrick Moynihan labeled it, "too close to infanticide," then what is killing fully-birthed babies?
To read the entire article, see http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121261107480446197.html
On a related note, here's a recent article about a woman whose son was born last year after surviving an abortion.
Please join me in praying for the unborn and for this upcoming election, that the American people will, as Gianna says, "have their eyes wide open and choose to be discerning."
Randy Alcorn
http://www.randyalcorn.blogspot.com/
http://www.epm.org/
Comments:
Thank you for sharing Gianna's story. What a beautiful woman, inside and out! My nephew survived an abortion at 25 week. My brother and his wife adopted him, and he's now a thriving 20 month old full of love and life.
Fortunately John McCain is about to go after Obama on the born alive issue, although McCain's position is somewhat compromised by his stem cell stance. It'll be interesting to see how Obama (and possible his wife, now that she's taking a higher public profile) will respond. I imagine their chief strategy will be avoidance and topic-changing.
Thanks for posting this today, Randy. I hope you don't mind, but I put your link in my post today.
Di
Wow, what a powerful story. Thanks for posting this!
"Extreme" is a pretty nice way of putting it!
Thanks for shedding light on these facts.
choose 4 life 4 ever 4 always!
We are criticized as being "one issue" voters YET - when that one issue is life or death - seems like a valid decision point. I've heard Gianna speak many times on James' Dobson's program and bless her for standing (literally - being able to stand! as well as morally) for the rights of human beings.
Thanks so much for posting about Gianna - I read her book years ago and am so moved by her story. God bless her and you for continuing to talk about prolife issues.
Dear Mr. Alcorn,
I was very intrigued to see that you posted something political, once again. I am glad you did. More people need to speak out about these issues. More people need for fight for justice. More people need to take a stand . . . before it's too late. And as your words and these facts witness, if Obama is elected, I know with all my heart that it will be too late.
But sadly, I believe that Obama will be elected.
From what I have seen, the American people, as a whole, do not want justice. They do not even truly want "hope," as Obama promises, and some might think. They want power to get what they want. They want what they want what they want . . . but oh, the price they will pay!
Obama will not stop at authorizing the killing of the unborn -- and "unintentionally-born." No, I know he will not stop.
Soon after reading up on Obama's stance on the issues we're faced with in this country, I came across a children's book at the bookstore -- entitled "Hitler's Youth."
To put it briefly, the similarities between Obama and Hitler are incredibly frightening.
Not only have they both attempted to appeal to the youth in similar ways and with similar promises, but they both have likewise shown forth the same heart -- the same lack of value for life, within the womb and outside of the womb.
The book tells the story of a couple who had a child that was born deformed -- missing an arm. The couple did not want the child and so wrote a letter, asking Hitler if he would legalize the killing of the child. He did. But not only that, he was "inspired" by their desire to remove an unwanted human being from this earth so much that he legalized the killing of all unwanted children, the mentally and physically handicapped, and the elderly -- saying that the people who led "unproductive lives," these innocent victims, were a "drain on society" through taxes and other means which funded their medical care and the like. I mean, he literally put up billboards throughout the cities to convince the people that these sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents of theirs should be done away with -- "exposing" the amount of money they "took" from society as a case against their lives.
Soon, as the book explains, no one in their right mind felt safe. What, after all, would be considered an "unproductive life" by the government and give "reason" for them to be shipped off and executed? What if a man is injured on the job and must go on workers' compensation? What if a mother comes down with a chronic illness? What if a child becomes crippled in an accident?
No one is safe from a ruler who thinks it right to kill a child. No one. I seriously beg anyone who considers voting for Obama to consider the price of the "hope" and new world he promises . . . it will cost lives. Not of the unknown, but of those we know and love. And not just of those we love, even, but of some of us.
But as disturbed as I am, and as much as I want to stop this, I am faced with a dilemma; and feel that I cannot yet. And this is where I would like to respectfully ask your advice: What does one do if there is no truly righteous choice to vote for? What does one do if to vote they must choose between, simply put, the lesser or the greater of two evils?
I have never voted; when Bush was first elected, I was too young. And when he was reelected, I already did not trust him so opted out. I am glad that I could not, and did not, vote for him because of the lives he has cost this nation on account of his choices.
But what is to be done to stop Obama? Do you have any advice for someone of my convictions? How does one vote with an "eternal perspective" in light of those currently running in politics, or does one simply not vote until things change due to the people's hearts changing?
You see, I without one ounce of reservation believe that the laws need to be changed, the innocent need to be protected by whatever righteous means we can bring forth, and that this requires that we have good men of integrity leading our nation . . . but I doubt that this can happen within the format of modern politics with all its deceits and games (see Scott McClellan's recently released book).
I believe that for a righteous man to be elected, the nature of politics has to change drastically from its present state of requirements and limitations.
I am doing all I can to pray for this country -- but I feel that it needs more than just my prayers. And any advice is welcome.
Thank you taking the time to allow me to share with you my thoughts.
Stand strong for justice for the children,
N.
Hi Randy,
Wow! God bless sister Jessen and her unwavering stance on abortion. I wish that all Christians copuld be pro life without exception, without compromise, and without apology.
Thanks for this important post. Yes, Obama will try to ignore it, but hopefully with publicity like the WSJ article he won't be able to.
P.S. to Randy - I was doing some pro-life reasoning training for some CareNet Pregnancy center volunteers last night and I mentioned what a great resource your "Pro-life Answer to Pro-Choice Questions" book is. I encourage everyone to read it.
To Mr. Obama, abortion, or "reproductive justice," is "one of the most fundamental rights we possess." And he promises, "the first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," which would overturn hundreds of federal and state laws limiting abortion, including the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and bans on public funding of abortion.
This is just so horrifying to me.... How can Obama link the word "justice" to abortion??
Yes, pro-legalized-abortionists play all sorts of word games. When I hear the word "justice" I typically think of situations where innocent human beings are not being murdered.
This blog entry of Mr. Alcorn made me cry. I cried because I was very saddened to hear this information. I was saddened by what sin has done to man. I hate abortion and I grew up knowing it was wrong, that God abhors it. In our country, the Philippines, abortion is illegal and condemned.
While reading the blog, I can imagine what God must have felt for every unwanted child killed. He would have been very very sad. But perhaps, he would be much much sadder for those who commit abortion. He would be sad for their eyes have been blinded by sin.
Even though I am not an American, I will be praying hard for America. I know great things happen when we trust God. And even though it seems that Mr. Obama will be winning, may we be reminded that we live by faith not by sight.
"Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
-Psalm 50:15 NASB
Obama voted against the state measure because it did not have an exception for the health of the mother. He said it before the vote and after. He also stated that he would have voted for the federal bill at the time because it did have the exception. His vote was not about the life of the infant but about the life of the mother and he has never said otherwise.
Most of my Christian friends are voting for Obama. I find this hard to understand. I am told that there are more issues than abortion that need to be looked at, and that my friends have 'voted on morality alone, and because of Bush we're stuck in a pointless war.'
But I ask, if there is anyone who can come to me and present an issue greater than the genocide of humanity, please, let him come.
And let us consider: Would it not be logical to assume that if Mr. Bush is responsible for what is happening in Iraq, then the man who signs a bill for the legalization of abortion in all forms is responsible for the murder of children?
If this is the future of our country, I am afraid.
Thank you to Randy... it's important that at whatever the cost, we cling to the Truth. Thank you for doing that.
I have opened up a whole can of worms for myself, thanks to Randy's book, "ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments" Because of my activity and use of statistics on another forum, a girl via the internet has privately sought my advice. She read the statistics I posted about the adverse health affects of abortion on women and their future children and confessed that she took the pill RU-486 about a year ago and has felt hollow and empty ever since. More than that, she is looking for practical ways that she can try to rectify the damage she's done to her reproductive health for the sake of her future babies. She has tried to research on her own, but the stuff out there is cryptic and hard for her to understand, she says. I'll try to research and help her all I can for her, but if you guys could point me toward some good sources, that would be greatly appreciated. I want to show her practical love by giving her some hard and fast research that can help her future reproductive health (avoiding possible ectopic pregnancies, low birth rate, premature delivery, breast cancer, etc) Thanks. Nikki
Randy, I am not sure if you seen the interview of this beautiful lady. But she was on foxnews. You can see the video there called "Born Alive" on Hannity and Combs...
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