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Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence
How many survivors will it take for us to see the life behind the abortion?
Today’s culture would have us believe that abortion is simply a choice, a right, a controversial argument, and a religious and political issue of pro-life vs. pro-choice. It has become easy to think of the unborn as disposable products of conception—medical waste. But all of that changes when that “product of conception” defies the odds and arrives into this world as a living, breathing human being.
In Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence, we hear the true stories of abortion survivors whose resilience and courage humanize this discussion of “choice” and life emerging from the womb. They are flesh and blood people who, against all odds, survived abortion attempts and have dramatic, touching stories of their own. These stories often begin in shame and secret, but emerge to become inspiring dramas of hope, love, and forgiveness.
This book includesStories of ten abortion survivorsA compassionate look into the pressures many women feel to abortAccounts of medical personnel who worked in the abortion industryAbortion Survivors Break Their Silence stirs the heart, challenges readers, and humanizes the sanctity of life in concrete and transformational ways.
Today’s culture would have us believe that abortion is simply a choice, a right, a controversial argument, and a religious and political issue of pro-life vs. pro-choice. It has become easy to think of the unborn as disposable products of conception—medical waste. But all of that changes when that “product of conception” defies the odds and arrives into this world as a living, breathing human being.
In Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence, we hear the true stories of abortion survivors whose resilience and courage humanize this discussion of “choice” and life emerging from the womb. They are flesh and blood people who, against all odds, survived abortion attempts and have dramatic, touching stories of their own. These stories often begin in shame and secret, but emerge to become inspiring dramas of hope, love, and forgiveness.
This book includesStories of ten abortion survivorsA compassionate look into the pressures many women feel to abortAccounts of medical personnel who worked in the abortion industryAbortion Survivors Break Their Silence stirs the heart, challenges readers, and humanizes the sanctity of life in concrete and transformational ways.
- GenresNonfiction
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 9, 2024
2 people are currently reading
562 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Ohden
4 books45 followersMelissa is a sought after speaker, author and advocate. Her experience of surviving a saline infusion abortion and being united with many members of her biological family initially led her to this life's work, but connecting with other abortion survivors, mothers, and families impacted by failed, stopped and reversed abortions is what has truly ignited her passion.
Melissa is the author of the 2018 Christianity Today award-winning, You Carried Me: A Daughter's Memoir, that vulnerably shares her journey of adoption, finding our her story, and ultimately healing and growing to a place of forgiveness and love, embracing her story and her purpose.
Melissa's second book, Abortion Survivors Break their Silence, with Cindy Lambert, the best-selling author of Unplanned, gives the reader an opportunity like never before--to see through their eyes, and hear through their words, the experiences of multiple abortion survivors--most unknown to the world--and women who have experienced a failed, stopped or reversed abortion. Their voices need to be heard. Not only for their sake. But our culture's.
Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence stirs the heart, challenges readers, and humanizes the sanctity of life in concrete and transformational ways that Melissa believes will break the secrets and shame that entrap so many people and so many families, and ultimately lead to compassion and understanding for ALL who have been impacted by abortion and been voiceless for so long.
In additional to her survival experience, Melissa brings a depth of knowledge to her work. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work, and has worked in the fields of substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence and sexual assault counseling, and child welfare.
She is the Founder and Director of The Abortion Survivors Network, the only support and advocacy organization for abortion survivors and their families world-wide. Melissa and her team have connected with nearly 700 abortion survivors as of October 2023.
Melissa is the author of the 2018 Christianity Today award-winning, You Carried Me: A Daughter's Memoir, that vulnerably shares her journey of adoption, finding our her story, and ultimately healing and growing to a place of forgiveness and love, embracing her story and her purpose.
Melissa's second book, Abortion Survivors Break their Silence, with Cindy Lambert, the best-selling author of Unplanned, gives the reader an opportunity like never before--to see through their eyes, and hear through their words, the experiences of multiple abortion survivors--most unknown to the world--and women who have experienced a failed, stopped or reversed abortion. Their voices need to be heard. Not only for their sake. But our culture's.
Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence stirs the heart, challenges readers, and humanizes the sanctity of life in concrete and transformational ways that Melissa believes will break the secrets and shame that entrap so many people and so many families, and ultimately lead to compassion and understanding for ALL who have been impacted by abortion and been voiceless for so long.
In additional to her survival experience, Melissa brings a depth of knowledge to her work. She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work, and has worked in the fields of substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence and sexual assault counseling, and child welfare.
She is the Founder and Director of The Abortion Survivors Network, the only support and advocacy organization for abortion survivors and their families world-wide. Melissa and her team have connected with nearly 700 abortion survivors as of October 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 11, 2024
Melissa Ohden and other abortion survivors are breaking their silence by sharing their stories and testimonies. This book is not one seeking to add fuel to the fire that is the hot topic of abortion but one that highlights the grace of the Lord amid the darkness of the world filled with hurt and pain. Melissa opens the door for herself and other abortion survivors to share their stories and touch on something so heartbreaking and tragic in the most kind, loving, and Christ-like way.
“Every Life has dignity, value, and purpose.”
Although a difficult book to read, there is beauty interwoven in Christ’s love for all his children, with key themes of hope, forgiveness, and redemption. These survivors are speaking out because they have hope that others whose lives have been influenced by abortion won’t feel alone but rather brave enough to speak out and share their testimonies in the hopes that fewer people will fall prey to the false messages that surround the notion that abortion never fails and that survivors don’t exist.
Thank you to Netgalley and Focus on the Family for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
“Every Life has dignity, value, and purpose.”
Although a difficult book to read, there is beauty interwoven in Christ’s love for all his children, with key themes of hope, forgiveness, and redemption. These survivors are speaking out because they have hope that others whose lives have been influenced by abortion won’t feel alone but rather brave enough to speak out and share their testimonies in the hopes that fewer people will fall prey to the false messages that surround the notion that abortion never fails and that survivors don’t exist.
Thank you to Netgalley and Focus on the Family for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
May 7, 2024
These stories were so powerful, heartbreaking and inspiring. Abortion affects so many lives, from the life of the mother, the life of the baby, the lives of those working in the abortion industry, the families it impacts. These stories powerfully illustrate the healing that these people who survived abortion attempts went through. From the initial shock and anger after learning their own mother tried to have them killed, to compassion and empathy for any woman who feels like killing her child is her only option, to love and forgiveness and a belief that they need to share their stories and use their voices to advocate for better options for mothers and babies. No one should feel like killing their own child is their only, or best, option. "No one wants an abortion as she wants an ice-cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal, caught in a trap, wants to gnaw off its own leg." I'm grateful these survivors are speaking up and helping to change the narrative around abortion.
October 29, 2024
All human life possesses inherent dignity and worth, and this book demonstrates this truth through the personal stories of people who survived after an attempted abortion.
What is wonderful about this book:
- Abortion survivors have the opportunity to speak about their experiences, especially when the popular narrative is that they don’t exist or that their stories are propaganda. These are real people who experience real pain and suffering because someone tried to kill them in the womb.
- This book approaches women who chose abortion with implicit grace, also telling the stories of the mothers who felt trapped by circumstance and in some instances their own trauma.
- The stories of abortion survivors emphasizes the basic human and biological reality that they were human in the womb. The fact that violent harm and trauma can be perpetrated against a human in the womb and those effects be felt through their entire life is the perfect illustration of how the fetus and the infant and the adult are all the same human, just at different points of development.
- Perhaps most importantly, it speaks to the depth of God’s grace and how He is capable of healing the hurt and trauma of the most vulnerable. As a point of witness, few testimonies have impacted me more.
What this book will not accomplish:
- Convincing secular pro-choice individuals that abortion is wrong. The book is steeped deeply in the language of faith, which is something I appreciate. And, that will likely result in people who do not share this faith to disregard the important messages it conveys.
What is wonderful about this book:
- Abortion survivors have the opportunity to speak about their experiences, especially when the popular narrative is that they don’t exist or that their stories are propaganda. These are real people who experience real pain and suffering because someone tried to kill them in the womb.
- This book approaches women who chose abortion with implicit grace, also telling the stories of the mothers who felt trapped by circumstance and in some instances their own trauma.
- The stories of abortion survivors emphasizes the basic human and biological reality that they were human in the womb. The fact that violent harm and trauma can be perpetrated against a human in the womb and those effects be felt through their entire life is the perfect illustration of how the fetus and the infant and the adult are all the same human, just at different points of development.
- Perhaps most importantly, it speaks to the depth of God’s grace and how He is capable of healing the hurt and trauma of the most vulnerable. As a point of witness, few testimonies have impacted me more.
What this book will not accomplish:
- Convincing secular pro-choice individuals that abortion is wrong. The book is steeped deeply in the language of faith, which is something I appreciate. And, that will likely result in people who do not share this faith to disregard the important messages it conveys.
January 28, 2024
A must read- hear the true stories of men and women whose lives were meant to be ended before they took their first breath, and their journeys of healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Truly powerful.
June 28, 2024
This seems to be a turn in appealing to lived experience, something that our current cultural moment (in theory) values. How do you respond to people who survived an abortion? It should at least be rhetorically helpful for those who are swayed by personal stories.
I personally did not find the writing style to be terribly engaging, which may hurt the reach. I'm also not entirely clear on who the audience is. It seems like telling abortion survivor stories should be something aimed at people who are in the pro-abortion camp, but the writing style seems to indicate it is aimed mostly at Evangelical Christians who do not need convincing. Many of the personal stories included brief conversion narratives, and I believe all of the stories were from those who are Christians. It seems sad to say it, but I think that emphasis on solely Christian stories (along with some of the stereotypical Evangelical writing style) makes it easier for opponents to dismiss everything out of hand as just a bunch of religious propaganda. Not that it should be; surviving abortion should raise profound questions for people about the value of life and what abortion really is doing. At minimum, how do you respond to someone who survived an abortion and now suffers the effects of it?
I personally did not find the writing style to be terribly engaging, which may hurt the reach. I'm also not entirely clear on who the audience is. It seems like telling abortion survivor stories should be something aimed at people who are in the pro-abortion camp, but the writing style seems to indicate it is aimed mostly at Evangelical Christians who do not need convincing. Many of the personal stories included brief conversion narratives, and I believe all of the stories were from those who are Christians. It seems sad to say it, but I think that emphasis on solely Christian stories (along with some of the stereotypical Evangelical writing style) makes it easier for opponents to dismiss everything out of hand as just a bunch of religious propaganda. Not that it should be; surviving abortion should raise profound questions for people about the value of life and what abortion really is doing. At minimum, how do you respond to someone who survived an abortion and now suffers the effects of it?
January 9, 2024
To dehumanize a woman and suggest she is somehow not a human being with rights is NOT a moral high road. What this book dismisses is the fact that 3 women die in childbirth every single day in the United States alone. That any abortion done "late term" is medically necessary, not a choice at all, because either the fetus is not viable or the woman will lose her life if she continues with the pregnancy. It's premise and title are also based on a lie. The fact is that most women do NOT regret their abortions.
I'm tired of religious folks going off about how they think their personal beliefs have a place in the bedrooms or bodies of complete strangers. Butt out and mind your own business. What major life or death medical decision would you allow a stranger, who isn't your doctor, make for you? We don't even allow our doctors to make these types of decisions FOR us. We consult them for their qualified, educated advice and then make the choice that is best for us.
People who have had an abortion are allowed to feel however they feel about it. But no one has the right to impose those feelings on anyone else. In my opinion this book is trash.
I'm tired of religious folks going off about how they think their personal beliefs have a place in the bedrooms or bodies of complete strangers. Butt out and mind your own business. What major life or death medical decision would you allow a stranger, who isn't your doctor, make for you? We don't even allow our doctors to make these types of decisions FOR us. We consult them for their qualified, educated advice and then make the choice that is best for us.
People who have had an abortion are allowed to feel however they feel about it. But no one has the right to impose those feelings on anyone else. In my opinion this book is trash.
February 7, 2024
Abortion survivors....the little babies that were almost killed in an abortion.....grew up to tell their stories. What was it like when they found out that their mothers had tried to abort them? What were their lives like after a failed abortion?
I commend each person who shared their story. Each story was a little different, but all shared in the same beginning of life. Each one precious in God's sight. Each one went through a process of acceptance, forgiveness and compassion toward their birth parents.
So many people talk about rights, but when will we stop to consider the rights of these human beings that are not able to speak for themselves?
I commend each person who shared their story. Each story was a little different, but all shared in the same beginning of life. Each one precious in God's sight. Each one went through a process of acceptance, forgiveness and compassion toward their birth parents.
So many people talk about rights, but when will we stop to consider the rights of these human beings that are not able to speak for themselves?
February 11, 2024
Babies survive abortions. This has short chapters that each tell a different survivor's story.
Survivors speak of health challenges due to damage while in the womb and emotional difficulties after finding out they survived while millions haven't.
They discuss anger and hurt after finding out. However, one, named Hope, who deals with cerebral palsy and many other health concerns, only shows gratitude for the gift of life and love for her birth and adoptive mothers.
An inspiring read that compels one to act to be a voice for the voiceless.
Survivors speak of health challenges due to damage while in the womb and emotional difficulties after finding out they survived while millions haven't.
They discuss anger and hurt after finding out. However, one, named Hope, who deals with cerebral palsy and many other health concerns, only shows gratitude for the gift of life and love for her birth and adoptive mothers.
An inspiring read that compels one to act to be a voice for the voiceless.
January 13, 2024
Abortion survivors who are ready to speak about their experiences share their stories in this book by Melissa Ohden.
Their stories can enlighten even pro-lifers who think they’ve heard it all. The book ought to be on the resource shelf of every agency and church engaged in outreach to abortion-vulnerable women. And yes, it belongs on the desk of every policymaker, even the ones who’d want to shove it into a bottom drawer and forget it.
Their stories can enlighten even pro-lifers who think they’ve heard it all. The book ought to be on the resource shelf of every agency and church engaged in outreach to abortion-vulnerable women. And yes, it belongs on the desk of every policymaker, even the ones who’d want to shove it into a bottom drawer and forget it.
July 18, 2024
One of the best books I have ever read. The compassion and suffering and sorrow are achingly presented, but in SUCH honesty. I am energized by the work this author has generated in her audience, and am moved to help. Please, READ THIS BOOK and add to your knowledge of the abortion world and what it really is. I challenge you t
to not be moved.
to not be moved.
September 12, 2025
Filled with gut wrenching stories that make you mad at evil and those who do evil, but also pushes you to have compassion and grace towards sinners. Helpful to hear the stories of those who almost died by abortion but who God mercifully preserved and helpful to hear the stories of those who almost had their babies murdered.
April 22, 2024
I hope that anyone who reads this book is moved to make a difference in the lives of those who have been impacted by abortion. I hope more people are stirred by God to not sit back and claim ignorance but are willing to speak up for the innocent.
May 14, 2024
Honest stories. Melissa Ohden and others are doing amazing and selfless work.
July 20, 2025
Good information but too religious for me.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews