DeSantis struck a chord

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis clearly struck a chord in last week’s Republican debate when he referenced an abortion survivor he knew. The Governor said:

“I know a lady in Florida named Penny. She survived multiple abortion attempts. She was left discarded in a pan. Fortunately, her grandmother saved her and brought her to a different hospital.”

Left-leaning journalist, Jill Filipovic, suggested that Mr. DeSantis was a liar in his claim:

 “I understand that politicians lie, but DeSantis’s story about ‘Penny,’ a woman he says survived multiple abortion attempts and was rescued from a pan by her grandmother(????), is just such a bizarre and impossible story, it’s stunning that any human is that gullible.”

The Lincoln Project co-founder, Steve Schmidt, concurred with Ms. Filipovic:

“The story of Penny found in the pan by DeSantis is ludicrous, and obviously untrue. It should be looked into by the media.”

Ms. Filipovic’s and Mr. Schmidt’s skepticism is understandable. The media seldom covers the horror of abortion. Most supporters of abortion rights are oblivious that babies sometimes survive abortion, and those that don’t survive suffer gruesome deaths. In this case, the survivor of an abortion to whom DeSantis referred came forward to confirm his story.

Miriam “Penny” Hopper told her story to the media:

“My answer to that would be the fact that I did exist. I existed at 23 weeks. There are thousands of abortion survivors around the world who have stories to tell, who have miraculous stories to tell.”

Followers of Pulse Life Advocates already know that babies sometimes survive an abortionist’s ‘best’ efforts to kill them. Another such survivor was Melissa Ohden, who spoke at our annual banquet in 2011, as you can see in the photo above.

Ms. Ohden formed the Abortion Survivor’s Network (ASN) to provide support for babies and their families who survive abortion. Since Roe, 85,817 babies survived abortion nationally, according to the ASN. They estimate that 8 babies survive abortion each year in Iowa. Ohden provides insights into this little known subject:

“An abortion survivor is a baby who survives an attempt to abort them in the womb. Families are impacted by it. And so that’s where we’re launching this awareness campaign. But we don’t just do awareness. We stand alongside moms who are experiencing abortions that fail, or they stop them.”

Here is a quick look at Ohden’s story:

Ms. Hopper talked about the value of the ASN to her:

“There are organizations like Abortion Survivor Network that have created a platform for a woman to come and not only get and bring healing to this, to help her heal to the situation, but help her not choose abortion. I have friends who have chosen not to have an abortion, and that child became a blessing to their life.

“Even my father did not want me. Not only was I a failed home abortion, but when I was transported to Lakeland regional, he would go out there and try to remove me because he thought I was going to be a burden. As a child, I knew that my dad didn’t want me as a baby because he would tell me, ‘I didn’t want you. But I love you now.'”

That love would never have had a chance to flourish if Hopper had died during the attempted abortion on her little body. She recalled the conversation she had with her dad on his deathbed:

[He] “looked at me, and he said, ‘Honey, I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’ So all the pain, and all the rejection and learning my story, it made it worth it all. Both my parents loved me, and I love them dearly. And I have a brother that’s my best friend. And we have a very close-knit family. So forgiveness … is a wonderful force in life.” 

Pulse Life Advocates and our followers know all about the ugliness of abortion, because we educate you on the issue at the same time corporate media tries to obscure it.

Kudos to Governor Ron DeSantis for shining a light on Penny Hopper’s story, and kudos to Melissa Ohden and the Abortion Survivor Network for providing needed support when a baby survives abortion.

[Help Pulse continue to shine a light on the evil of abortion. Join us at our Christmas Gala on November 18th]