NATIONAL AMERICAN HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
- Lullaby -
A New Song for Life
Choir of Angels
Page Two
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Gianna Jensen was aborted
and lived to tell about it
 April 6, 1977
It was early morning when 17-year-old Tina entered the abortion clinic. After signing a few papers, she received a saline injection and was told to lie down in a large barrack-like room lined with beds. During the day, about 30 pregnant teenage girls went into labor-and delivered dead babies.
Meanwhile, Tina was still waiting for the contractions to start. The doctor called it a day, leaving a solitary nurse on duty. Close to midnight, Tina's water broke. She awoke the sleeping nurse and told her what had happened. "Okay," the nurse responded. "Go back and lie down." But something uncomfortable was happening. Tina felt the need to push, to expel this unknown substance. Tissue, the professionals called it. Fetal tissue.
By the time she got back to bed, the muscles in her abdomen were contracting incessantly. She had to push--and the nurse still had not responded to her second call.
Reaching down, she felt the wet solid curve of a skull. It's a head! She thought. Haw can tissue have a head?
At that instant, a thin, penetrating wail pierced the quiet room, where earlier a roomful of women had delivered limp, lifeless fetuses. A baby girl was making a triumphant, indignant way into the world.
 December 25, 1989
Diana DePaul was in her Southern California home preparing a Christmas dinner when 12-year-old daughter, Gianna, walked in. Diana had adopted Gianna when she was 4 years old.
"Need any help?" Gianna asked.
"No, it won't be long," replied her mom, as she wrestled with the turkey. She took a step back, bumping into Gianna, who was trying to peer over her shoulder.
"Oops!" Gianna said as she stumbled back out of the way. She was quiet for a moment.
"Mom, why do I have cerebral palsy? There must be a reason for it."
It wasn't the first time Gianna asked about her disability, and Diana's standard answer was: "You had a traumatic birth. You were born premature."
This time Diana sensed that Gianna wasn't satisfied with that pat answer anymore. As many times as Diana had thought about this moment, she never expected it would come on Christmas Day.
I guess she's ready, Diana thought. As she started to break 12 years of silence, she felt a great peace settle on her. God knows best, she thought.
"Your biological mother was only 17 when you were born. She probably didn't have very much hope or money. Maybe she had pressure from a boyfriend, or someone else, so she decided-"
"I was aborted, right?" Gianna said, beating her mother to the punch.
"Yes. How did you know?"
"I just knew."
Gianna didn't say anything more right away. She remained thoughtful. But when she spoke, it was with her usual perkiness. "Well, at least I have cerebral palsy for an interesting reason."
So many Questions
Before that Christmas of 1989, Gianna cried a lot over her biological mother, wanting to know why she gave her up for adoption, wondering what she looked like. But once she found out her mom tried to abort her, she never cried over her again.
She still had questions, however: Why didn't she want me? When she found out I was still alive, was she sorry she had the abortion? Does she ever think of me? What's her name? Is she pretty? But there was no point swirling those questions in her mind because the only answers Diana had were from a typed sheet from MediCal on State of California stationery.
The official correspondence referred to Gianna as "an infant born 10 weeks premature, the product of an attempted saline abortion." The letter also said she had needed oxygen and that she was "Transferred to Harbor General upon birth, where she remained until dishcarge
6/6/77."
At that point, Orange County Department of Social Services placed Gianna in a series of foster homes. Doctors said she would never sit up, much less walk. But when Gianna went to live with one particular foster mother, Penny, at 17 months of age, she connected with a women whose heart was dedicated to nurturing her.
Penny, in her 50's, loved children. She was also Diana DePaul's mother. Over the months as Diana DePaul's mother. Over the months as Diana visited her mother, she fell in love with Gianna and soon decided to adopt her.
I'll always remember the day I adopted you." Diana later told her daughter. "It was wonderful. You were 4 - this tiny thing with such bright eyes and a big smile, and those big plastic leg braces. You had worked so hard with Grammy."
Gianna had wanted to surprise her new mom by being able to walk without her walker before the adoption. On July 24, 1981, Gianna watched Diana's car pull up, and almost before Diana's was out of the car, Gianna ran stiffly down the driveway and into her new mother's arms-all by herself.
That was 13 years ago.
Over the years there have been tough times, including several surgeries to relieve the stiffness in Gianna's legs. Then there were lonely times in junior high school when friends shunned Gianna. Diana went in to talk to the school principal with her daughter. His solution of providing "volunteer friends" offended Gianna.
That evening, Gianna's anger gave way to tears. She sobbed into her mother's lap for a long time. At last she raised her flushed, wet face and asked, "When is God going to heal me, Mom?"
Diana stroked her hair.
"Gianna," she said, "it might not be God's will to ever heal you, but He is going to use you in a very special way."
'I Forgive Her'
Not long after Gianna learned she had been aborted, a friend of Diana's called and asked if Gianna could speak at a Mother's Day banquet at Penny's church about what it was like being aborted.
Gianna's answer was immediate"
"Sure-if I can sing!" Singing had been her passion since she was 3 years old.
On the night of the banquet, Gianna limped to the front of the room. With a grin on her face, she took the microphone in hand, greeted the group easily and then began to sing. her sweet, soprano voice was a young, higher version of Amy Grant's, but there was a presence about her, a personality all her own.
Afterward, with he microphone cradled in her hands, Gianna began her little talk.
"I'm adopted," she began. "My biological mother was 17 when I was born. At seven months pregnant, she chose to have a saline abortion. But by the grace of God, I survived."
Gianna smiled.
"I forgive her totally for what she did. She was young, and she probably had no hope. She didn't know what she was doing. As a result of the abortion however, I have cerebral palsy-but that's okay, because I have God to keep me going every day. It's not always easy, but He is always there. He's there for you, too."
She finished by singing Michael W. Smith's "Friends," dedicating it to all the babies who die from abortion every day. "They are my friends," Gianna said, "and I'm going to see them in Heaven some day."
As Gianna finished and lowered her eyes, the room was silent. Several women wiped away tears. The the audience burst into sustained applause. People surged forward to hug her and shake her hand, saying, "I'm glad you survived!"
As the crowd thinned out, Gianna turned to leave. A woman who had been standing at the fringes of the crowd stepped up.
"I had an abortion," she admitted in a low voice, searching Gianna's face. "Nobody knows. I've confessed it to God, but I still feel guilty."
"You didn't know what you were doing," Gianna told her.
The woman reached out and stroked Gianna's cheek. "I have to touch you," she said, sighing deeply. "I have longed to hold my baby and tell her I am sorry. Somehow, touching you, hearing you say you forgive your mother, makes me feel"-she choked back a sob-"maybe she would forgive me!"
"She would." said Gianna earnestly. "I know she would."
The woman's tears were running freely now. "I've had this bottled up for so many years." She wrapped her arms tightly around Gianna. "Thank you!"
Then as the woman held Gianna at arm's length and gazed at her again, Janice said with conviction "you will see her in heaven".
The woman took a deep, ragged breath, letting go of years of pain. "You have helped me so much! God bless your ministry." She gave Gianna's hand one quick squeeze then walked away.
That was the first of many times that Gianna would share her unique and compelling story.
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Autumn 1991
Half a continent away in Indiana, a 31 year old woman sat in front of a T.V. She and her husband had recently moved from California to be close to his dying mother.
On this beautiful fall day, she was bored. There wasn't much on. Soaps. Reruns. Talk shows. Tina paused at one talk show. It can't be . On the screen was a young teen ager, a perky looking little thing, with wavy, blonde hair cascading from a bow on top of her head. Tina caught only a few words before her brother switched to another channel.
"Turn it back!" Tina cried. " That's my daughter"
"Oh, I'm sure, " he said sarcastically.
" She is, I know she is"
Morey Povich, the host, had just said something to Gianna, and the teenager was giggling.
"She's got my face, my eyes! She's the same age, and I named her Gianna [spelled with one n and pronounced Guy-ana, though now its Gee-ANA], and she says she was aborted."
Her brother shrugged, still not convinced.
Tina couldn't absorb what they were saying. Memories were flooding back. The precious, squalling baby cupped in her hands. The guilt. And anger that people who knew better had told her that abortion wasn't wrong
Povich continured his questions.
"When did you find out the real story about the abortion attempt?"
"On Christmas Day, when I was 12," Gianna replied. In Indiana. Tina's heart was racing.
Gianna, she thought, I want to tell how it was, how sorry I am! If I contact the station, could I talk to you? Would you want to hear from me? Or would I just hurt you more than I already have?
Povich had turned to Diana Depaul and asked, "What is the connection between the abortion and cerebral palsy?"
"Gianna was deprived of oxygen in the womb when she gulped the saline solution," said Diana
"Why don't you stand up for a second!" Povich ordered Gianna. "This is somebody who couldn't walk or crawl." The crowds cheered and applauded as Povich gave Gianna a hug.
the shock of seeing her daughter was intense, almost unbearable, but Tina couldn't take her eyes away.
After a commercial break, the audience asked several questions. One woman's inquiry made Tina suspend her breath. "Would you ever like to meet your real mom?"
Tina's eyes were riveted on Gianna.
"I don't feel I would at this point," replied Gianna, "because I have my family. My mom's sitting right here. It's not that I am mad at my biological mother at all. I forgive her totally for what she did."
Tina didn't want to hear anything more. She turned off the set and tried to turn off the disappointment flooding her. She said no, Tina thought. She said she doesn't want to meet me. I better stay away.
Epilogue
As Gianna and Diana traveled and spoke at pro-life gatherings around the country, their pro-choice opponents repeatedly suggested that they could not prove their story. Without the biological mother, Diana's only proof was a small, inconclusive document from the State of California.
Gianna's biological mother was the key to the truth-if she would tell the truth. Diana had to find her. With Gianna's permission and the help of a private investigator, Diana found Tina in March 1992-married and living again in Southern California.
Tina spoke to a reporter and told her that she had seen Gianna on "The Maury Povich Show," and that she had heard her say she wasn't sure she wanted to meet her mother. Tina said she loved Gianna and prayed for her, but she didn't want to enter her life if Gianna wasn't ready. The reporter relayed this to Gianna, who said candidly, "I just can't sit down with her face to face. I think it would be too much."
When the reported called Tina to relay the message, Tina said that something had come up and they were moving again. The reporter asked her to call her when she got settled.
Whether Tina contacted them again or not, there was one thing they all agreed on: As far as meeting her birth mother, Gianna would call the shots. Nobody wanted to hurt this young woman who nearly lost her life in an abortion clinic.
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Testimony of abortion survivor Gianna Jessen before the Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on April 22, 1996.
 My name is Gianna Jessen. I am 19 years of age. I am originally from California, but now reside in Franklin, Tennessee. I am adopted. I have cerebral palsy. My biological mother was 17 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.
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 it. Some have said I am a "botched abortion", a result of a job not well done.
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 apparently called emergency medical services and had me transferred to a hospital.
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.
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.
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. I was legally adopted by my foster mother's daughter, Diana De Paul, a few months after I began to walk. The Department of Social Services would not release me any earlier for adoption.
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 19 years.
I am happy to be alive. I almost died. Every day 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 do not consider any person conceived to be any of those things.
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. When I speak, I speak not only for myself, but for the other survivors, like Sarah, and also for those who cannot yet speak ...
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 a 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 there eyes...
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 situation. Show me how it is the answer.
There is a quote which is etched into the high ceilings of one of our state'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 its future.
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.
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The Armas story and his pictures should be part of this program in every grade from at least sixth and repeated annually through to twelfth. Students will have a personal story of “Life Before Birth” that simply cannot be denied or forgotten.
The photo above was taken by Michael Clancy. It is protected by U.S. Copyright Law.
Visit Michael's website. Used with permission.
From the Web:
A picture began circulating in November (2000). It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, “Picture of the Decade.” It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the paper, you probably never will see it. The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by a surgeon named Joseph Bruner.
The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb. During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby.
During the surgery on little Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed, hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life. "
Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us my pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person."
The LORD called me before my birth; from
within the womb he called me by name.
Isaiah 49:1
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How many people have heard of Samuel Armas? 
Audrey, a prayer model for all of us
Audrey was only three years old, but she already knew what she wanted.
 Her parents had just taken her to visit the birthplace of St Therese in Lisieux, France. As they were leaving the home, little fun-loving Audrey looked up at her parents and announced, "I want to enter the Carmel and offer my life to Jesus."
Dumbfounded, Audrey's parents didn't know what to say they couldn't even imagine where she had gotten the idea. But in the days ahead, the intensity of Audrey's faith would become even clearer.
At the age of 7, Audrey was stricken with leukemia. The disease quickly ravaged her body, and it broke Audrey's heart when she was no longer able to play with her little friends. But she didn't complain. Each day she offered her suffering to Christ, with a special intention -vocations.
In fact when she was down, Audrey would usually smile and say, "Thank you, Lord! Your will be done!" Everyone was astonished at her faith. Especially when in her pain she would respond, "Let's do what the Lord Jesus tells us in the Gospel, and take things one day at a time. 'The birds neither sow nor reap...'," Then she would smile and laugh.
Through chemotherapy, radiation and even a bone marrow transplant -- all procedures that
cause extreme fatigue, sickness, and discomfort -- Audrey simply chose not to complain. Instead
she blessed others by being happy and playful -- always joking and making people laugh.
When the doctors wanted her to begin walking again after treatment, and she was too tired or too ill, she said she would follow St. Therese's example and walk for a seminarian. Through it all, Audrey offered her joy, her hope, and even her suffering for vocations.
Her faith did not go unnoticed, and there were moments of exceptional Grace. One was a private Mass with the Holy Father. He even spoke to her privately for a few minutes -- and Audrey told him a secret.
It involved a particular young man she had been praying for. Later, as Audrey's health was failing, her mother told her that he had just left to join a seminary. With that information, Audrey sighed and said, "Oh, then I can rest now." With a sweet smile she then slipped into a semi-coma. It was as if she had been fighting off fatigue just to be sure her prayers for this future seminarian were heard.
On the feast day of Mary, Queen of Heaven, August 22, 1991, Audrey was born into eternity.
Her last words were, "My Lord, protect me."
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