Marked for Death Part 1

Melissa Ohden’s tale of surviving an abortion is remarkable. In part one of this two-part series, we’ll hear her tale of survival, learn the details involved in a saline abortion, and find out how Melissa’s tragic history turned into a story of love and adoption.

In the summer of 1977, Melissa’s mother was admitted to St. Luke’s hospital in Sioux City, Iowa with the intention of aborting her unborn daughter. But the saline abortion attempt failed and baby Melissa was delivered alive, unbeknownst to the abortionist. A few doctors and nurses finally noticed that Melissa was making small movements and noises and they quickly went to work on saving Melissa’s life. Having survived the abortion attempt on her life, baby Melissa still required intense medical care.

Linda and Ron Cross were already the parents of one adopted daughter when they decided the time had come to have another child. They first saw Melissa when she was only one month old. According to Linda, it was love at first sight. Linda and Ron adopted Melissa and were able to take her home only a couple months later. Despite initial concerns regarding her future, Melissa thrived in the loving home of her new family.

Melissa’s story of survival is remarkable, considering the damage a saline abortion inflicts on an unborn child. Dr. Jonathan Taylor is a Doctor of Osteopathy with Creighton University and a former OB/GYN. He describes the saline abortion procedure and outlines the effects the chemical solution has on unborn children. Due to the amount of survivors, saline abortions are no longer practiced. But that hasn’t stopped abortionists from inventing new late-term procedures.