Kansas City area mother shares story of being an abortion survivor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Melissa Ohden was born premature. She always knew that. She was adopted and she always knew that too.

She was 14 years old when she learned her birth was the result of a failed saline infusion abortion back in 1977. She weighed less than three pounds.

“There is nothing that prepares you for a moment like that. There’s so many questions of, how does it happen? Why did it happen? Does that mean I’m so unlovable, I’m so unworthy,” said Melissa Ohden.

Ohden is the author of the book “You Carried Me” which outlines her journey of self-discovery and healing.

She eventually tracked down medical records documenting the failed procedure which led her to connect with her birth mother who also lives in the Kansas City area.

“She lives in Missouri. My birth mom, Ruth, lives in Odessa. I have a half-sister, Jennifer, and her kids that live in Blue Springs,” said Melissa.

Melissa says her birth mother never knew she was born alive and suspects her birth father didn’t know either. She wrote him a letter, but he died shortly after she sent it.

“My birth father passed away not long after I sent him a letter back in 2007, and I don’t know if he knew that I had survived that abortion,” said Melissa.

Abortion Survivors

Melissa now runs the Abortion Survivors Network. She says many people don’t have documentation backing up their birth stories. It’s mostly family secrets that are handed down. Survivors often struggle when learning the truth.

Not every state keeps track of efficacy- meaning did the procedure work?

Missouri included that information in its last annual abortion report in 2022. The information is in the “abortion complication section.”

It states that 12 abortions “failed, pregnancy undisturbed.”

Planned Parenthood’s own website reveals the effectiveness of medication abortions by how many weeks a woman is into her pregnancy and the combination of medications prescribed. The effectiveness is anywhere from 87% to 99% effective.

Saline-infused abortions are now quite rare due to side effects and the procedure requires hospitalization. More effective procedures are now available.

Upcoming Amendment 3 vote

Melissa has strong feelings about the upcoming Amendment 3 vote. She will vote “no.”

Click here to read the exact language.

“I want people to read through this language and be educated about it, to know what the impact of a yes or a no vote on it would be,” said Melissa.

She questions what limits will be in place if Missouri chooses abortion services. She also points next door to Kansas which now provides abortion services for women from numerous states. She does not want Missouri to be a major abortion provider.

She also points to her birth mother, Ruth and what she went through.

“There was a pain in her eyes that I will never, ever forget. And if there’s one thing I could change about my whole story, it would be her pain. I wish I could take that away from her,” said Melissa.

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