<Disclaimer: I don’t work for or get sponsored by the Abortion Survivors Network. I’m just hosting the fundraiser to help abortion survivors they serve.>

Each year, nearly 2,000 babies in the U.S. are born alive during or after abortion procedures.

In 1977, a 19-year-old woman in Iowa underwent a saline abortion at 8 months of pregnancy. For 5 days, they injected a toxic saline solution into the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. When the procedure was completed, the body of a baby was delivered. It weighed less than 3 pounds.

There was no crying or movement. So the body was placed among medical waste.

But a few hours later, a nurse heard weak crying and noticed the baby moving. The baby was taken to intensive care, where she fought for her life. Against all odds, she recovered and was eventually placed with an adoptive family.

They named her Melissa.

She grew up believing she was a premature baby who had simply needed extra care at birth. Nothing suggested there was more to her story.

But when Melissa was 14, during an argument, her sister blurted out in frustration, “This is why your biological mother didn’t want you!”

The words came out suddenly, and Melissa had no idea what they meant. When she later asked her adoptive family about what she had heard, they explained the truth.

The information was overwhelming. And she began to struggle emotionally. It changed how she understood her entire life. In the years that followed, she developed an eating disorder and began abusing alcohol.

At 19, Melissa decided she began searching for her birth mother. It took more than 10 years, but eventually she located her.

What she learned was unexpected: her mother had believed for more than 30 years that the baby she delivered had died in the hospital. The staff never told her otherwise. Melissa was placed for adoption without her mother’s knowledge.

When Melissa met her biological mother in person, she immediately noticed the regret in her expression. It was then that she learned that her mother hadn’t wanted the abortion. In fact, she had been forced into it by her own mother.

Despite the heartbreaking reality, Melissa found strength in her faith in Christ. Over time, she experienced healing through God’s grace.

In 2012, she channeled her pain into purpose by establishing the Abortion Survivors Network. It is based in Kansas City, Missouri, but its reach extends worldwide.

They offer supportive communities with practical resources. They also provide education for policymakers and the public about failed abortion rates.

Their work reaches people who have carried this pain alone for far too long.

This fundraiser supports The Abortion Survivors Network. The babies who survive abortion attempts often face disabilities from both the procedure and premature birth. It also takes more support and resources to place them in a foster or adoptive home. Please help them experience the gift of life to the fullest.

$48 provides social work support for survivors, mothers and families.

$88 enables weekly outreach and advocacy on policy related to abortion survival.

$166 helps educate and equip medical and adoption professionals.