Courage in the Colorado House of Representatives

When the Colorado House of Representatives decided to honor the ninetieth anniversary of Planned Parenthood's presence in the Rocky Mountains, one pro-life representative decided to bring along a special guest for the occasion. State Representative Ted Harvey asked Gianna Jessen (pictured at left), a singer, pro-life activist, advocate for those with cerebral palsy, and -- oh, yes -- an abortion survivor, to help him mark the event. Harvey first introduced Ms. Jessen, told the House of her victory over her disability, had her sing, then lowered the boom by telling "the rest of the story":

[Harvey said to the House]: "The cause of Gianna's cerebral palsy is not because of some biological freak of nature, but rather the choice of her mother.

"You see when her biological mother was 17-years-old and 7-and-a-half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to seek a late-term abortion. The abortionist performed a saline abortion on this 17-year-old girl. This procedure requires the injection of a high concentration of saline into the mother's womb, which the fetus is then bathed in and swallows, which results in the fetus being burned to death, inside and out. Within 24 hours the results are normally an induced, still-born abortion.

"As Gianna can testify, the procedure is not always 100 percent effective. Gianna is an aborted late-term fetus who was born alive. The high concentration of saline in the womb for 24 hours resulted in a lack of oxygen to her brain and is the cause of her cerebral palsy.

"Members, today, we are going to recognize the 90th anniversary of Rocky Mountain Planned Parenthood…"

Harvey was gaveled down by the Speaker of the House who openly rebuked him for, as the Speaker put it later to the Denver Post, "[using] a human being as an example of his personal politics."

Harvey has replied at his website by saying that "Yes Representative Madden, Gianna Jessen is a human being. She was when she was in her mother’s womb and she was when she sang the National Anthem on the Floor of the Colorado House of Representatives."

Jessen later stated to the Denver Post that she was glad Harvey told her full story. "We need to discuss the humanity of it. I'm glad to be able to speak up for children in the womb," she said. "If abortion is about women's rights, where were my rights?"

This story is a clear indications of how the courage of one woman can expose the diabolical nature of the Culture of Death. Pope John Paul the Great always reminded America that this country's greatness would depend not on its financial prosperity or military power, but by how it protects the most vulnerable. As a society, we fail horribly at this at a number of 4,000 abortions a day. God Bless Ms. Jessen for her courage to speak the truth!