Skip to main content
Live Action LogoLive Action
preemie, born alive, abortion survivors

Unreal: Pro-abortion writer claims ‘no such thing as an abortion survivor’

IssuesIssues·By Anna Reynolds

Unreal: Pro-abortion writer claims ‘no such thing as an abortion survivor’

In a show of either outright delusion or of sheer ignorance, writer Annalisa Merelli claimed that the anti-infanticide bill the United States Senate failed to pass was unnecessary because, in her words, “There is no such thing as an ‘abortion survivor.’”

This is patently false. Abortionists’ own words demonstrate that babies are sometimes born alive during attempted abortions. And these instances are not as rare as people might think. Former labor and delivery nurse Jill Stanek exposed the horrific practice of “live birth abortion,” which is the practice of leaving an infant without medical care to die after she is born alive, sometimes lingering for hours.

Merelli insists, “An abortion is performed with the intention of ending a pregnancy, so there are no survivors.” Birth is the end of a pregnancy; abortion is the killing of a preborn child in the womb. If the abortionist fails to kill the child before removing the baby’s body from her mother, a living baby is born.

Never miss the latest news in the fight for life.

While every successful abortion results in a dead baby, not every one that is attempted does.

READ: Abortionists reveal why we need a law to protect abortion survivors

Article continues below

Dear Reader,

We’re making a movie! Live Action’s debut feature film, Rise Above, is currently in production, and we need your help to get it across the finish line. When you give $50 or more by July 31st, your gift will help support the production and release of this inspiring film AND will unlock exclusive perks like production updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more. The bigger the gift, the more perks you unlock!

Even Merelli has to acknowledge this stating that in a late-term abortion, which is not as rare as she suggests, “it can lead to the fetus leaving the body alive, albeit in a terminal state.” If Merelli is claiming that babies born alive from botched abortions would have died anyway due to fetal abnormalities, this, too, is false. Most women who have later abortions do so for reasons other than fetal abnormalities. However, depending on how barbarically you define “terminal,” Merelli could be partially correct: If a helpless infant is left without assistance, she will die. This is by no means the conventional understanding of terminal. Not every child who survives an attempted abortion will die if given appropriate medical care.

Examples of abortion survivors grown to adulthood and now advocating for other survivors show that some babies do, in fact, fully survive attempted abortions. While their stories are dismissed as “fairy tales” by pro-abortion politicians, their lives should cause all abortion supporters to question what happens to the babies born in a procedure that was supposed to kill them before birth.

Thumbnail for Abortion Survivors - Fox & Friends 02-10-2019

As previously reported by Live Action News, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, introduced by Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), stated that “if an abortion results in the live birth of an infant, the infant is a legal person for all purposes under the laws of the United States, and entitled to all the protections of such laws.”

The legislation, including penalties for abortionists who fail to provide stipulated care for infants born alive during attempted abortions, is necessary because currently there is no penalty for abortionists who leave babies exposed to die.

“Like” Live Action News on Facebook for more pro-life news and commentary!

Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.

Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.

Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.

Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!

Read Next

Read NextA brunette teenager gives a close-lipped smile in a photo shown during a television broadcast.
International

Parents of euthanized teen seek action against psychiatrists who opposed her death

Cassy Cooke

·

Spotlight Articles