Numbers can be dismissed. Statistics can be forgotten. But what about the faces behind those figures? What about the voices that were never supposed to be heard and the lives that weren’t meant to exist—but do? Behind every percentage point and policy fight is a human being—someone who wasn’t supposed to survive but did.
Melissa Ohden is living proof that abortion doesn’t always end in death. In 1977, she survived a saline infusion abortion—a horrific method designed to poison and burn the baby alive in the womb. The abortion was supposed to be final, but against all odds, she was born alive. Left to die, she was only saved because a nurse defied protocol and got her medical care.
Melissa is far from alone. The Abortion Survivors Network (ASN) has connected with over 640 documented survivors, and many more remain unknown due to the lack of mandatory reporting. Without laws ensuring these infants receive care, many who survive are left to die, abandoned in hospitals and abortion facilities across the country.
Why Born-Alive Protections Matter
The reality of what happens after a failed abortion isn’t just heartbreaking—it’s a call to action. When a baby survives an abortion, the question becomes painfully clear: Will abortionists save this child or let them die?
Despite the clear evidence, many states still do not have Born-Alive Infant Protection Acts, which would ensure that a baby who survives an abortion receives the same medical care as any other newborn. Kansas recently took steps to change this, introducing HB 2313, which would mandate care for abortion survivors and require annual reporting on these cases.
Yet, pro-abortion advocates continue to fight such legislation, arguing that protections for survivors are unnecessary.
But if abortion survival is so “rare,” why oppose efforts to ensure that these infants receive life-saving care? The answer is simple: acknowledging survivors means admitting abortion isn’t the clean, controlled procedure they claim it to be.
- Exposing the truth starts with YOU. Learn more about abortion survivors and how you can help through their stories.
- Do you have a story to share? Submit your testimony today and make your voice heard.