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{{Short description|American anti-abortion activist}}
'''Gianna Jessen''' (b. April 6, 1977, ]) is a recording artist and ] activist.
{{Infobox person
| name = Gianna Jessen
| image = Gianna Jessen at the Alliance Defense Fund.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Jessen as a featured speaker at an ] banquet in ].
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|04|06}}
| birth_place = ], U.S.
| other_names =
| known_for = Speech at Constitution Subcommittee of the ], April 22, 1996.
| occupation = ] activist
| website = {{URL|www.giannajessen.com}}
}}

'''Gianna Jessen''' (born April 6, 1977) is an American ] activist. She was born during a failed ] attempt.<ref name=T05 /><ref name=NYT91 /><ref name=BBC05 /> The 2011 film '']'' is loosely based on Jessen's life.


==Early life== ==Early life==
Jessen was born April 6, 1977, in ]. Her medical records indicate that she was born in the 30th week of pregnancy to a 17-year-old girl during a failed saline abortion. Jessen's birth certificate is signed by the doctor who was performing the ].<ref name=T05 /><ref name=BBC05 />
Jessen claims that:
In ], when her biological mother was 17 years old she sought an ].{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} The instillation abortion was carried out when the biological mother was 30 weeks (7½ months) pregnant.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} The abortion procedure failed, and Jessen was born alive and premature, with severe injury that resulted in physical ] and ].{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}} Jessen's biological parents, both aged 17, placed Jessen for ] shortly after her birth.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}}
These statements are an unverified claim,no source can be provided that can be verified other than Jessen's statements, or her adoptive parents.


Jessen weighed {{convert|2.5|lbs|kg}} at birth, and was born with ], a motor condition that affects various areas of body movement, which she says was caused by the abortion attempt.{{ r | WaPo_1 | p=1 | q=Jessen says she has cerebral palsy due to a lack of oxygen to her brain during the abortion attempt. }} {{ r | DP_1 | p=1 | q=...a woman who said her cerebral palsy was caused by a botched late-term abortion. ... But Kate Horle, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said "There&apos;s no statistical evidence that cerebral palsy has been caused by failed abortions." "I would be hard-pressed to believe that cerebral palsy was caused by a failed abortion. I have yet to see any justifiable medical evidence to that effect," she said. }} She describes it as a "tremendous gift".<ref name=WaPo_1 >{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/09/27/the-only-reason-i-am-alive-is-the-fact-that-the-abortionist-had-not-yet-arrived-at-work/|title=The only reason I am alive is the fact that the abortionist had not yet arrived at work|author=Lindsey Bever |date=September 30, 2016|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref> Jessen spent three months in the hospital before being placed in ]. She was ] at the age of four.<ref name=T05 /><ref name="Jessen Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.giannajessen.com/main/featured/bioprint.pdf|title=Gianna Jessen Biography|work=giannajessen.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124042351/http://www.giannajessen.com/main/featured/bioprint.pdf|archive-date=January 24, 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=2012-05-07}}</ref>
==Activism==
Jessen is a vocal pro-life advocate, and has spoken to both the American ] and the British ].<ref>{{cite web | last = Elliott | first = Jane | title='I survived an abortion attempt' | date=2005-12-06 | publisher = ] | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4500022.stm
| accessdate = 2007-02-28}}</ref>
She has made a startling physical recovery; she was not expected to be able to walk, but she now walks with an slight limp. She entered and completed a local ] in 2005, and the ] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web | last = Day | first = Elizabeth | title = Gianna Jessen was aborted at 7½ months. She survived. Astonishingly, she has forgiven her mother for trying to kill her. | date=2005-03-12 | publisher = ] | url =http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1504652/Gianna-Jessen-was-aborted-at-7-months.-She-survived.-Astonishingly-she-has-forgiven-her-mother-for-trying-to-kill-her..html | accessdate = 2012-03-09}}</ref> Jessen also sings, accompanied by her friend Michael Logen, and has written and recorded songs.


==Career==
A 1999 biography of Jessen was written by Jessica Shaver.<ref>{{cite book | last = Shaver | first = Jessica | title = Gianna: Aborted... and Lived to Tell About It | publisher = ] | year = 1999 | isbn = 1-56179-415-5}}</ref>


===1990s===
==Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood event==
Jessen's career as an activist began in 1991, when she was 14, after her adoptive mother, Diana DePaul, told Jessen she was born to a 17-year-old girl, during a failed abortion attempt. Jessen has since campaigned against abortion, saying "It's more comfortable for people to think of abortion as a political decision, or a right. But I am not a right. I am a human being". Jessen said she's forgiven her birth mother, but is not interested in a relationship with her, citing a strong relationship with her adoptive mother. Jessen has also campaigned against exceptions to ] laws, on the grounds of fetal disability, citing her own ].<ref name=T05>{{cite news
On May 8, 2006, the ] State House of Representatives voted on a resolution honoring the 90th anniversary of a local branch of ]. ] Representative ] invited Jessen, whom he'd met as a singer, to sing the "]" on this particular day.
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1504652/Gianna-Jessen-was-aborted-at-7-months.-She-survived.-Astonishingly-she-has-forgiven-her-mother-for-trying-to-kill-her..html
|title=Gianna Jessen was aborted at 7½ months. She survived. Astonishingly, she has forgiven her mother for trying to kill her
|publisher=]
|date=2005-12-04
|last=Day|first=Elizabeth
|access-date=2012-04-18
}}</ref><ref name=NYT91>{{cite news
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/27/us/in-debate-on-abortion-2-girls-make-it-real.html
|title=In Debate on Abortion, 2 Girls Make It Real
|work=The New York Times
|date=1991-10-27
|access-date=2012-04-18
|last=Lewin|first=Tamar}}</ref><ref name=BBC05>{{cite news|title=I Survived An Abortion Attempt|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4500022.stm|access-date=28 February 2007 | work=BBC News|first=Jane|last=Elliott|date=2005-12-06}}</ref><ref name=TheAge>{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/abortion-survivor-joins-debate-20080830-4654.html|title=Abortion survivor joins debate|author=Barry Prismall|date=31 August 2008|work=The Age|access-date=18 April 2012}}</ref> Jessen appeared on the ] with her adoptive mother in 1991.<ref name=NYT91 /> In reporting her story and publicizing Jessen's early life to the nation, '']'' observed that Jessen and ], a teenage girl who reportedly died as a result of a botched ] in 1988, had become the symbols of America's debate over abortion and characterized them as "poster girls whose stories are being shrewdly marketed by their supporters to keep passions high."<ref name=NYT91 /> Jessen is a stage name that was adopted when she began her activism.<ref name=NYT91 />


In 1995, four years after Jessen was placed in the national spotlight, author Jessica Shaver published a biography on Jessen.<ref>{{cite book
|last=Shaver|first=Jessica
|title=Gianna: Aborted... and Lived to Tell About It
|url=https://archive.org/details/giannaabortedliv00shav|url-access=registration|publisher=Tyndale House Publishers
|year=1995|isbn=1-56179-415-5}}</ref> In early 1996, ] sponsored an Australian tour,<ref>"Gianna - glad to be alive". ''Light''. Australian Festival of Light and Community Standards Organisation, February 1996. p 12.</ref> during which Jessen spoke at venues in all states and territories.<ref>"How the media saw Gianna". ''Light''. Australian Festival of Light and Community Standards Organisation. May 1996. p. 12.</ref>


===2000s===
'']'' reported that Jessen "didn't expect it," but "was glad Harvey told her story."<ref> {{cite news | first = Chris | last = Frates | title = Abortion jab earns rebuke | date = 2006-05-09 | url = http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_3800240 | work = The Denver Post | accessdate = 2012-04-05 | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20060520143722/http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_3800240 | archivedate = 2006-05-20}}</ref> Later, in January 2007 when she was interviewed on the ]'s ''Life on the Rock'' program, Jessen related the entire story (beginning at the point where Harvey first approached her at an earlier event where she appeared) expressing pleasure at her function in this event.
In his speech at the 2002 signing of the ] President ] mentioned Jessen, acknowledging her presence and extending his appreciation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/08/20020805-6.html|title=President Signs Born-Alive Infants Protection Act|date=August 5, 2002|website=georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov|access-date=2016-06-23}}</ref>

In December 2005 Jessen travelled to ] to support a campaign to reduce the number of abortions under the ] and to speak at a parliamentary meeting at the ].<ref name=BBC05 /> Both the ] and the ] indicated that they hoped her story would encourage Parliament to look again at abortion.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1504875/Churchmen-back-woman-who-survived-being-aborted.html
|title=Churchmen back woman who survived being aborted
|publisher=]
|access-date=2012-04-18
|last=Womack|first=Sarah
|date=2005-12-07}}</ref>

On May 8, 2006, the ] considered a resolution honoring the 90th anniversary of a local branch of ]. ] representative ] invited Jessen to sing the ] to the House that day and then told her story "because, 'I just wanted to put a face to this celebration'."<ref name=DP_1>{{cite news
|first=J|last=Alderson
|title=Abortion jab earns rebuke
|url=http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_3800240
|work=]|date=2006-05-09
|access-date = 2012-04-05
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520143722/http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_3800240|archive-date=2006-05-20}}</ref>

In September 2008, Jessen was in ], sponsored by the ], to lobby federal politicians on late term abortions.<ref name=TheAge/> The same month, Jessen appeared in a political advertisement during the ] stating, "If ] had his way, I wouldn't be here", referring to Obama's opposition to "born alive" legislation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gianna Ad|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anieuWFWe8s|publisher=BornAliveTruth.org|access-date=19 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="factcheck">{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/09/23/born-alive-baloney.html|title=Factcheck.org: Abortion Ads Miss the Truth|last=Henig|first=Jess|date=2008-09-23|publisher=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718150215/http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2008/09/23/born-alive-baloney.html|archive-date=July 18, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=2012-04-18}}</ref>

===2010s===
In September 2015, Jessen testified at a ] investigating ]'s practices regarding fetal tissue donation, following the ]. During her testimony, Jessen said she would ask Planned Parenthood the following question: "If abortion is about women's rights, then what were mine?"<ref>{{cite news|last1=Somashekhar|first1=Sandhya|title=Planned Parenthood hearing on Hill evokes old battles over abortion|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/planned-parenthood-hearing-on-hill-evokes-old-battles-over-abortion/2015/09/09/92ecc922-5710-11e5-8bb1-b488d231bba2_story.html|access-date=12 September 2015|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=9 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Wetzstein|first1=Cheryl|title=Planned Parenthood misleads, women testify at congressional hearing|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/9/planned-parenthood-misleads-women-testify-congress/|access-date=12 September 2015|publisher=The Washington Times|date=9 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yahoo.com/health/investigation-or-political-theater-6-facts-1253400026431542.html|title=Investigation or Political Theater? 6 Facts About the Congressional Hearing on Planned Parenthood|last1=Uffalussy|first1=Jennifer|date=9 September 2015|access-date=12 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160207142709/https://www.yahoo.com/health/investigation-or-political-theater-6-facts-1253400026431542.html|archive-date=February 7, 2016|url-status=dead|publisher=Yahoo Health}}</ref>


== See also == == See also ==
* The ] is a German child also born after an attempted abortion. * The ], a German child born after a failed abortion attempt
* ], a 2011 film based loosely on Jessen's life.


== References == == References ==
Line 27: Line 76:


== External links == == External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
* of Gianna Jessen.
* {{Official website|http://www.giannajessen.com}} of Gianna Jessen
* interview of Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor from EWTN Life on the Rock TV show.
* on web site
* organization running ad featuring Gianna Jessen critical of ]'s position on Born Alive legislation
* featuring Gianna Jessen critical of ]'s position on Born Alive legislation
* Gianna Jessen in Australia (YouTube)
* in Australia (YouTube)
* on the ], 1991
*

{{authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
| NAME =Jessen, Gianna
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1977-04-06
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jessen, Gianna}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Jessen, Gianna}}
]
]
]
]
]
] ]
]
]
]
] ]
] ]
]

]
]
]
]
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]
]
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]

Latest revision as of 00:36, 1 October 2024

American anti-abortion activist
Gianna Jessen
Jessen as a featured speaker at an Alliance Defense Fund banquet in Meadowview, Virginia.
Born (1977-04-06) April 6, 1977 (age 47)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupationanti-abortion activist
Known forSpeech at Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, April 22, 1996.
Websitewww.giannajessen.com

Gianna Jessen (born April 6, 1977) is an American anti-abortion activist. She was born during a failed instillation abortion attempt. The 2011 film October Baby is loosely based on Jessen's life.

Early life

Jessen was born April 6, 1977, in Los Angeles, California. Her medical records indicate that she was born in the 30th week of pregnancy to a 17-year-old girl during a failed saline abortion. Jessen's birth certificate is signed by the doctor who was performing the abortion.

Jessen weighed 2.5 pounds (1.1 kg) at birth, and was born with cerebral palsy, a motor condition that affects various areas of body movement, which she says was caused by the abortion attempt. She describes it as a "tremendous gift". Jessen spent three months in the hospital before being placed in foster care. She was adopted at the age of four.

Career

1990s

Jessen's career as an activist began in 1991, when she was 14, after her adoptive mother, Diana DePaul, told Jessen she was born to a 17-year-old girl, during a failed abortion attempt. Jessen has since campaigned against abortion, saying "It's more comfortable for people to think of abortion as a political decision, or a right. But I am not a right. I am a human being". Jessen said she's forgiven her birth mother, but is not interested in a relationship with her, citing a strong relationship with her adoptive mother. Jessen has also campaigned against exceptions to late-term abortion laws, on the grounds of fetal disability, citing her own disability. Jessen appeared on the Maury Povich Show with her adoptive mother in 1991. In reporting her story and publicizing Jessen's early life to the nation, The New York Times observed that Jessen and Becky Bell, a teenage girl who reportedly died as a result of a botched unsafe abortion in 1988, had become the symbols of America's debate over abortion and characterized them as "poster girls whose stories are being shrewdly marketed by their supporters to keep passions high." Jessen is a stage name that was adopted when she began her activism.

In 1995, four years after Jessen was placed in the national spotlight, author Jessica Shaver published a biography on Jessen. In early 1996, Festival of Light Australia sponsored an Australian tour, during which Jessen spoke at venues in all states and territories.

2000s

In his speech at the 2002 signing of the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act President George W. Bush mentioned Jessen, acknowledging her presence and extending his appreciation.

In December 2005 Jessen travelled to London to support a campaign to reduce the number of abortions under the UK Abortion Act and to speak at a parliamentary meeting at the House of Commons. Both the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster indicated that they hoped her story would encourage Parliament to look again at abortion.

On May 8, 2006, the Colorado State House of Representatives considered a resolution honoring the 90th anniversary of a local branch of Planned Parenthood. Republican representative Ted Harvey invited Jessen to sing the national anthem to the House that day and then told her story "because, 'I just wanted to put a face to this celebration'."

In September 2008, Jessen was in Canberra, Australia, sponsored by the Australian Christian Lobby, to lobby federal politicians on late term abortions. The same month, Jessen appeared in a political advertisement during the 2008 US presidential campaign stating, "If Barack Obama had his way, I wouldn't be here", referring to Obama's opposition to "born alive" legislation.

2010s

In September 2015, Jessen testified at a Congressional hearing investigating Planned Parenthood's practices regarding fetal tissue donation, following the Planned Parenthood 2015 undercover videos controversy. During her testimony, Jessen said she would ask Planned Parenthood the following question: "If abortion is about women's rights, then what were mine?"

See also

  • The Oldenburg Baby, a German child born after a failed abortion attempt

References

  1. ^ Day, Elizabeth (2005-12-04). "Gianna Jessen was aborted at 7½ months. She survived. Astonishingly, she has forgiven her mother for trying to kill her". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  2. ^ Lewin, Tamar (1991-10-27). "In Debate on Abortion, 2 Girls Make It Real". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  3. ^ Elliott, Jane (2005-12-06). "I Survived An Abortion Attempt". BBC News. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
  4. ^ Lindsey Bever (September 30, 2016). "The only reason I am alive is the fact that the abortionist had not yet arrived at work". Washington Post.
  5. ^ Alderson, J (2006-05-09). "Abortion jab earns rebuke". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on 2006-05-20. Retrieved 2012-04-05.
  6. "Gianna Jessen Biography" (PDF). giannajessen.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 24, 2013. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  7. ^ Barry Prismall (31 August 2008). "Abortion survivor joins debate". The Age. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  8. Shaver, Jessica (1995). Gianna: Aborted... and Lived to Tell About It. Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN 1-56179-415-5.
  9. "Gianna - glad to be alive". Light. Australian Festival of Light and Community Standards Organisation, February 1996. p 12.
  10. "How the media saw Gianna". Light. Australian Festival of Light and Community Standards Organisation. May 1996. p. 12.
  11. "President Signs Born-Alive Infants Protection Act". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. August 5, 2002. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  12. Womack, Sarah (2005-12-07). "Churchmen back woman who survived being aborted". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  13. "Gianna Ad". BornAliveTruth.org. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  14. Henig, Jess (2008-09-23). "Factcheck.org: Abortion Ads Miss the Truth". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  15. Somashekhar, Sandhya (9 September 2015). "Planned Parenthood hearing on Hill evokes old battles over abortion". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  16. Wetzstein, Cheryl (9 September 2015). "Planned Parenthood misleads, women testify at congressional hearing". The Washington Times. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  17. Uffalussy, Jennifer (9 September 2015). "Investigation or Political Theater? 6 Facts About the Congressional Hearing on Planned Parenthood". Yahoo Health. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2015.

External links

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