By now, many have heard the testimony of Gianna Jessen, a Christian woman who was miraculously born alive following a saline abortion, forty years ago. The petite, brunette beauty has spoken in various places, and does not allow her cerebral palsy, a consequent effect of the abortion, to hinder her in any way. On the contrary, she calls it a "gift" from God:
"I was later diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, which was caused by a lack of oxygen to my brain while surviving the abortion. I was never supposed to hold my head up or walk. I do. And Cerebral Palsy is a great gift to me."
Jessen was "accidentally (by human terms)" born to an unwed, teenage girl. In a matter of unforgettable events, the saline abortion, which should have killed Gianna at worst or made her blind at best, failed to succeed in most of its purpose. As in all cases, God's purposes succeeded; despite what man had meant for evil, God had intended for the good, and little Gianna was adopted into a loving family.
By age twelve, Gianna's knowledge of the situation of her birth was confirmed by her adoptive mother, Penny; at around that time, Gianna's story was ushered into publicity when she was used as a witness for a case similar to her own birth story, in which a baby had survived an abortion, but whose pale life was quickly snuffed out by the abortionist who proceeded to strangle the weakened infant.
In a powerful speech addressed to the Congress, Gianna, now a young woman in her 30's, showed no residue of self-pity or remorse---no despair over her past, present, nor future. On the contrary, her face was beaming with smiles of genuine hope, determination, and affection. Even while delivering the poignant question:
"If abortion is about women’s rights, then what were mine?”
Jessen went on to reference the fact that abortion is not primarily a humanitarian issue, though it certainly is that; rather, it is an issue which we will, as a nation, bring an account before the might Judge of this earth:
"...We will have to give an account as a nation, before God, for our apathy and for the murder of over 50 million children in the womb. Every time we falter in courage as individuals and fail to confront this evil, I wonder how many lives have been lost in our silence, while we make sure we are lauded among men and do not offend anyone?
Gianna is a living, breathing example of a woman filled with the Spirit of God; her courage and perspective of how He intended for them to be is almost breathtaking; she creates images that form a collage of a vision so delightfully foreign that it almost seems fantastical---and yet it is exactly what God has called obedience. She gently challenges men and particularly those in authority to "rise to the occasion" in defending the women and children of this nation:
"I trust, men, you will rise to the occasion. To the politicians listening, particularly to the men, I would say this, you are made for greatness, set your politics aside. You are made to defend what is right and good."
In closing, Gianna initiated the powerful influence of masculinity in the culture and specifically the status of abortion:
"Men, you are made for greatness. You are made to stand up and be men. You are made to defend women and children, not stand by, and turn your head, when you know murder is occurring and do nothing about it. You are not made to use women and leave us alone. You are made to be kind and great and gracious and strong and stand for something because men, listen to me, I am too tired to do your job.”
