An Abortion Survivor Tells Her Story

Melissa Ohden was a teenager when she discovered that she was the survivor of a botched abortion. She was one of the lucky ones. Adopted by a caring family, she lived a normal life and grew to her teenage years feeling loved. Even with her family’s support it was wrenching to find out that her birth mother tried to kill her.

After going through a difficult adjustment, Melissa decided to try to find her birth parents. She wanted to know more about where she came from. Her quest could have turned into a nasty scene of recrimination when she met her birth mother’s family, but Melissa had grown beyond that. She was lucky to be alive, had a good childhood, and now a loving husband. Although it wasn’t easy, she wanted was to learn about her birth mother and forgive her.

This is not an easy story to read because it is emotionally gripping. She’s honest about the trauma of learning about the abortion and the self-destructive behavior she engaged in trying to come to terms with what she learned. The abortion haunted her making her feel like a mistake.

Abortion is a major life decision that affects families, the birth mother, and in this case the child who survived. I highly recommend this book. If you are concerned about abortion, or know someone who is thinking of having one, it’s something to consider. Early abortions don’t carry the same of risk of having a child who survives, but they can still be traumatic for the mother. Melissa Ohden has done a good job telling her story. I hope it helps others dealing with the decision about abortion.

I received this book from Handlebar for this review.