Gianna Jessen: The Other Side
By Greg King
Gianna Jessen was born April 6, 1977. Actually, "born" is not precisely the correct term. Gianna was to be the victim of a saline abortion, a form of abortion where a toxic saline solution is injected into the uterus and the fetus is allowed to die before being expelled. Gianna's mother attempted to receive an abortion, but her water broke before Gianna was killed. Gianna was born alive, and due to the attending nurse's swift actions, was taken to the local hospital and saved. She lives today, albeit with what she calls the "gift" of cerebral palsy. She is a singer and a motivational speaker who spoke out against President Obama during his campaign for his voting actions in Illinois -- in which he repeatedly voted against bills that would have provided explicit protections for babies born alive during an abortion attempt. Television ads were traded back and forth between the two.
Gianna provides a glimpse into the "other side" from what Dr. Larch proposes in The Cider House Rules. Her story sounds much like the feebler conversation Homer has with Dr. Larch in the truck, as he contends that it is better to be alive "under any circumstances," yet this time with teeth. Gianna is a strong young woman, who comes from a place few can boast -- she survived. Linked below are the ABC story about her clash with Obama, and the same story from another news blog that also recaps her address in 1996 to the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, as well as her own website.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/09/anti-abortion-5.html
http://wizbangblog.com/content/2008/09/16/abortion-survivor-gianna-jessen-schools-barack-obama.php
