#gianna jessen

[dank-pro-life-memes]

[craigtowens]

“I have met other survivors of abortion. They are all thankful for life.” —Gianna Jessen

[coloradocowgirlforchrist]

Men, you are made for greatness... you are made to defend women and children.

Gianna Jessen

[dissociative-nightmare]

I really wish I could say that the United States is not like that but then I remember the time that a then-friend of ours dragged my unsuspecting mom and I to an anti-abortion fundraiser and the speaker, (Gianna Jessen), made every man in the audience stand up and yell “Freedom!” to prove that she supported their masculinity. 

Needless to say, we didn’t go to any events with her again.

[cristianesimocattolico]

Gianna Jessen, la bambina di Dio sopravvissuta all’aborto

Gianna Jessen è personalità ormai nota a livello internazionale. La madre diciassettenne ha provato ad abortirla, ma lei è sopravvissuta. Non si stanca mai di raccontare la sua stessa storia, in tutto il mondo, perché è nel segno della speranza: la vita è più forte della morte e, in Gesù Cristo, ha la sua vittoria definitiva.

di Marco Farnesi (11-12-2018)

Gianna Jessen è personalità così nota a livello internazionale che, ormai, paiono superflui i preamboli per raccontarne la storia. Ma non ci si stanca di riproporla e approfondirla, perché è nel segno della speranza: la vita è più forte della morte e, in Gesù Cristo, ha la sua vittoria definitiva.

Siamo a Los Angeles, nel 1977, quando i genitori biologici di Gianna, diciassettenni, decidono di essere troppo giovani per dare alla luce la creatura che hanno concepito. La madre si presenta così a una clinica abortista per praticare un aborto salino. Con esso, una sostanza viene iniettata nel grembo materno al fine di ustionare, soffocare e uccidere il bambino, destinato a essere partorito morto entro 24 ore. Gianna lotta per 18 ore nel ventre di sua madre e nasce viva alle ore 6 del 6 aprile, con un peso inferiore al chilogrammo. Il medico abortista di turno è assente, altrimenti non avrebbe esitato ad ovviare all’“inconveniente” strangolando o semplicemente gettando nei rifiuti la bambina. Gianna capita invece tra le mani di un'infermiera che la trasferisce in un ospedale, dove è collocata nell’incubatrice. E’ poi affidata alle cure di Penny, la sua futura nonna adottiva (morta cinque anni fa), nella cui casa-famiglia Gianna è accudita: “quanto ho amato Penny – dice Gianna – per tutto quello che ha dato a me e ad altri 56 orfani, che ha allevato da sola”. Nonostante le previsioni pessimistiche dei medici (“la bambina non potrà vivere a lungo; non potrà tenere sollevata la testa; non potrà camminare”, ecc.), Gianna cresce, pur con una paralisi cerebrale dovuta al tentato aborto, che si manifesta soprattutto nella ridotta mobilità degli arti inferiori.

Oggi Gianna gira il mondo per testimoniare la fede e la forza di Cristo e per promuovere la difesa della vita umana in ogni fase e condizione. La incontriamo a Pavia alla prima tappa del suo più recente tour di incontri in Italia, coordinati da Pro Vita onlus. Come è stato possibile salvarsi da un tentativo di aborto così aggressivo e crescere in questo modo? Gianna, di confessione evangelica, non ha dubbi: “è per il potere assoluto di Gesù Cristo, al quale nulla è impossibile”.

Che “prove” hai per dire che è stato Gesù Cristo in persona a salvarti?

Ho conosciuto Gesù a tre anni e ho subito compreso che Lui è tutto per me. Lo vedo, lo sento, avverto la Sua presenza a fianco a me ogni giorno. Per chi ha fede, non possono esservi dubbi, tanti sono i segni della Sua azione: non mi sono data la vita da sola, non avrei potuto camminare, non potrei fare tutto quello che faccio, se non grazie a Lui.

Pensi che Egli abbia voluto affidarti una missione particolare?

Sicuramente mi ha dato la missione di ridere, perché lo faccio sempre! In realtà, me ne ha date diverse, credo. Ma la missione principale resta quella di raccontare quello che Gesù ha fatto per me e, attraverso questo, predicare il Vangelo di Gesù Cristo. A che servirebbe lottare soltanto per un ideale, per una causa, fosse anche quella – che ritengo importante – di difendere la vita prenatale? Se non proclamassi Gesù Cristo, e non provassi a far capire a chi incontro che ciascuno è amato da Dio, non gioverebbe a nulla né a me né agli altri.

Hai mai incontrato la tua madre biologica? L’hai perdonata?

Potrà sembrare sciocco ciò che dico: mi è stato più facile perdonare la mia madre biologica di quanto non lo sia perdonare le persone con cui si ha a che fare tutti i giorni. E’ più difficile perdonare le persone quando vi abbiamo a che fare di frequente. Io, comunque, sono cristiana e cerco di esserlo davvero. Una sera, alla fine di un evento in cui raccontavo la mia vicenda, la mia madre biologica si presentò dinanzi a me, senza preavviso: “io sono tua madre”. Mi parve come se l’universo intero mi crollasse addosso. Invocai ripetutamente il Signore perché mi aiutasse. Risposi: “signora – non per disprezzo, ma per porre una giusta distanza – sono cristiana e io la perdono”. E lei: “non voglio il tuo perdono”. Disse così probabilmente perché, accettando il perdono, avrebbe dovuto riconoscere ciò che aveva fatto. Io ribadii che la perdonavo, ma ella iniziò a inveire contro di me. Al che, le confermai che la perdonavo, ma che non le permettevo di insultarmi. Me ne andai e quella sera piansi per ore. Non ci siamo più viste né sentite. Avevo compreso che il mio compito era perdonarla, ma che solo Gesù può salvarla.

Chi ti ha cresciuto? E come hai conosciuto la vicenda della tua nascita?

Fui affidata alle cure di Penny. Venni però adottata da sua figlia, per cui Penny divenne la mia nonna adottiva: facile da dire, ma fu complicato da vivere. A 12 anni – era il giorno di Natale – chiesi, per l’ennesima volta, alla mia madre adottiva le ragioni della mia disabilità. La mia insistenza denotava, evidentemente, l’inquietudine interiore che vivevo. Così mi fu raccontata la mia vicenda.

Nelle tue testimonianze affermi che la paralisi cerebrale è un modo con cui Dio ti ha protetto e tuttora ti protegge. Dunque, è un dono: e come può essere un dono una simile sofferenza?

Mi rendo conto che è difficile da comprendere se non si vive questa condizione. Molti parlano di Gesù, ma in maniera sdolcinata e irreale. Ma quando ti rendi conto che hai bisogno di Gesù per ogni singola cosa, anche solo per compiere un passo; quando capisci che dunque Lui è tutto per te e, rivolgendoti a Lui, sperimenti il Suo amore, allora afferri che anche la sofferenza è un dono. La mia vita certo non è facile. Ma non mi interessa una vita facile, desidero una vita straordinaria.

Ogni anno al mondo sono praticati oltre 50 milioni di aborti. Sono 50 milioni di bimbi non nati, generazioni stroncate, lavoratori che mancheranno alla società… E’ un genocidio, una catastrofe. L’aborto è legale quasi ovunque, seppure in misure diverse. Come si combatte tutto questo?

Con la preghiera, soprattutto; e una persona alla volta. Non si possono convincere le persone a non uccidere il proprio figlio soltanto con la logica, perché si tratta di una battaglia spirituale. Perché logicamente puoi vedere un bambino che si sviluppa nell’utero, ma questo argomento, evidentemente, nella pratica di per sé non è vincente.

Molti pro life ripongono speranze nell’operato del Presidente Donald Trump.

Apprezzo molto quanto sta facendo per la vita. Credo che, anche grazie ai nuovi giudici da lui nominati alla Corte Suprema degli Stati Uniti, si potrà quantomeno [ribaltando l’impostazione della storica sentenza Roe vs. Wade, ndr] riportare la questione dell’aborto legale dal livello federale alle scelte dei singoli stati.

[protruth-prochoice]

This is a prime example of how Gianna Jessen lies about her mother's abortion without actually saying the words, so she somehow thinks this makes her not responsible for the lie she promotes. I pray for this seemingly impossible thing today -- for Gianna to realize spreading lies about her birth like this isn't okay, no matter how much she hates Planned Parenthood, or thinks lying in God's name is justified, or lying to "save babies" is justified, or is legitimately angry about her now-deceased birth mother may or may not have received bad counseling there, or angry they may have given Tina Holder a list of doctors that did later abortions than Planned Parenthood did. That what is actually inspirational and spiritual about being hated as Jesus was hated is that Jesus didn't lie, nor did He let others lie for Him when He could stop it, nor did He repeat lies except to correct them. The moment you stray from the Truth, you aren't being righteously hated. You can glory all you want in thinking people hate you because you speak the name of Jesus, Gianna. You're insulting His name. No, the right people stopped being moved by your story starting from whatever did change you in 2006. Whether it was meeting the psycho who claimed to be Tina or not, I don't know, but something did. Maybe it wasn't that meeting, because when you first talked about it you still didn't mention Planned Parenthood. Maybe it was that day with Ted Harvey, where you could have said to the reporters who were saying you'd been born at Planned Parenthood, or to Harvey himself, the truth.... but chose not to. That was the day you began straying from the path of truth. Before that, had anyone other than this psycho truly been vile to *you*? Maybe your mom Diana, because they worried you were being exploited, but you? Compare to now. You had hecklers all the way across Ireland. Perhaps because they can smell BS when it's being Tweeted? Like that 16 days lie. Perhaps 16 days after a 5-day-old embryo is transferred, but it is more like 22-23 days post-fertilization. Maybe that doesn't seem like a huge difference -- but isn't it amazing enough by itself to say instead of "16 days"? Why isn't 22 days just as cool? To me, it is. But when I hear someone say one lie, and pin a reTweet of another, much worse, about themselves, I know this person has lost touch with what is true and what is not. What is True and what is not. Why isn't your actual truth compelling enough, even in your OWN eyes, to stand in it alone? I pray for you to realize this, Gianna -- that the lying about Planned Parenthood, even carefully distanced lying so you can't get sued for defamation, isn't helping the pro-Life cause. It only damages it.

[protruth-prochoice]

The Day Gianna Sold Out

I want to clarify before I continue.

Yes, it's probable that Gianna is making enough from her speaking engagements to pay for the medical expenses she will have the rest of her life and getting to see the world, not living in a mansion or driving a Lamborghini.

She has claimed that despite having cerebral palsy and therefore meeting the definition of disability since before age 22, she has not received any public assistance since age 18, even Medicare which she is entitled to. She made this claim while arguing that government healthcare is bad, and I know she has issues with parents being denied the ability to attempt even potentially futile care (truthfully, so do I) on severely disabled infants when another agency besides the government offers to cover it.

But my little brother and sister, grown now, adopted by a wonderful foster family but will be dependent on others forever, can't go on tours to pay for the damage their biological mother's choices while pregnant did to them. They're too damaged.

They will both need Medicare and Medicaid their entire lives. If she is going to claim to advocate for disabled children, why she thinks my little brother and sister don't deserve care is insanity.

So bear in mind that while I don't particularly object to her decision to opt-out of the Medicare/Medicaid she's entitled to, taking decisions away from people who don't have a voice or a choice is kind of what she preaches against. Yet another hopefully unintentional demonstration of the "pro-fetus" but not pro-life mentality.

-----

Gianna didn't necessarily "sell out" by money. She "sold out" when she first allowed someone to lie in her name about the circumstances of her birth in order to "save the unborn". She gave into the pressure to throw whatever might stick at an organization she believes is terrible, instead of sticking to her truth and demanding the correction be made immediately.

And she has still refused to see how this damages her credibility, how this damages the pro-life movement as a whole, or her part in it by letting the rumor continue unchallenged. By pinning Tweets that say it to her social media pages. By giving what readers of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" would recognize as an "Aes Sedai truth" that deliberately misleads.

In that fantasy series, people who had special powers weren't trusted not to abuse them. They agreed to take three Oaths on a special device that would literally stop them from breaking the Oaths. One was "I shall speak no word that is not true." They were famed manipulators, though, because they could spin the "truth" like a top and give misleading but true answers.

It's possible the Shaver biography is correct, and Tina Holder was referred to Allred by Planned Parenthood. We will never know now, because she is dead. Yet the evidence is clear that Planned Parenthood did not perform any procedures on Tina Holder. They did not attempt to abort Gianna. Especially if it was true that Tina had another abortion after giving birth to a live baby during one, any potential coercive counseling by Planned Parenthood in 1977 didn't override the fact Tina chose to go to Allred, chose to have the abortion, and allegedly chose to have another later. Their role in Gianna's disabilities is so minimal that while it may be true and as such if she's going to say Big Bad Planned Parenthood conned her mom, that's fine.

But it's NOT fine to let people outright say lies in your name, nor is it fine to craft your "truth" in front of Congress to mislead so many news outlets it's impossible to count and the lack of retractions nearly three years later is evident from Google.

Ever since Gianna started letting this lie be said unchallenged routinely and allowing her bookers to sell tickets to her events by claiming Planned Parenthood performed the abortion, she's refrained from showing off her birth certificate.

That's because it directly contradicts the myth.

----

June 16, 2006

Planned Parenthood Celebration Jolted by Abortion Survivor

by Ted Harvey, assistant minority leader, Colorado House

She sings the anthem to applause, then her secret is revealed to stunned silence.

I want to share with you an awesome experience I had in the Colorado House of Representatives on May 8. It is a humbling experience to look back and realize that God used me to play a role in His divine orchestration.

I was leaving the House chambers for the weekend when our Democrat speaker of the House announced that the coming Monday would be the final day of this year's General Assembly. He went on to state that there were still numerous resolutions on the calendar which we would need to be addressed prior to the summer adjournment. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned that one of the resolutions we would be hearing was being carried by the House Majority Leader Alice Madden, honoring the 90th anniversary of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

As a strong pro-life legislator I was disgusted by the idea that we would pass a resolution honoring this 90-year legacy of genocide. I drove home that night wondering what I could say that might pierce the darkness during the debate on this heinous resolution.

On Saturday morning, I took my 8-year-old son up to the mountains to go white-water rafting. The trip lasted all day. As we were driving home, exhausted and hungry, I remembered that I had accepted an invitation to attend a fundraising dinner that night for a local pro-life organization. One of my most respected mentors had personally called me several weeks earlier and asked me to attend, so I knew I'd have to clean up and head over.

After our meal, the executive director of the organization introduced the keynote speaker. I looked up and saw walking to the stage a handicapped young lady being assisted to the microphone by a young man holding a guitar.

Her name was Gianna Jessen.

Gianna said "Hello," welcomed everyone, and then sang three of the most beautiful Christian songs I have ever heard.

She then began to give her testimony. When her biological mother was 17 years old and seven and a half months pregnant, she went to a Planned Parenthood clinic to have an abortion. As God would have it, the abortion failed and a beautiful 2-pound baby girl was brought into the world. Unfortunately, she was born with cerebral palsy and the doctors thought that she would never survive. The doctors were wrong.

Imagine the timing! A survivor of a Planned Parenthood abortion arrived in town just days before the Colorado House of Representatives was to celebrate Planned Parenthood's "wonderful" work.

As I listened to Gianna's amazing testimony, the Lord inspired me to ask her if she could stay in Denver until Monday morning so that I could introduce her on the floor of the House and tell her story. Perhaps she could even begin the final day's session by singing our country's national anthem!

To my surprise she said she would seriously consider it. If she were to agree, she wanted her accompanying guitarist to stay as well. A lady standing in line behind me waiting to meet Gianna overheard our conversation and said that she would be willing to pay for the guitarist's room. Gianna then said that she would think about it.

As I was driving home from the banquet, my cell phone rang. It was Gianna, and she immediately said, "I'm in, let's ruin this celebration." Praise God!

When Monday morning came, I awoke at 6 a.m. to write my speech before heading to the Capitol. As I wrote down the words, I could sense God's help and I knew that this was going to be a powerful moment for the pro-life movement.

Following a committee hearing, I rushed into the House chambers just as the opening morning prayer was about to be given. Between the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, I wrote a quick note to the speaker of the House explaining that Gianna is an advocate for cerebral palsy. I took the note to the speaker and asked if I could have my friend open the last day of session by singing the national anthem. Without any hesitation the speaker took the microphone and said, "Before we begin, Representative Harvey has made available for us Gianna Jessen to sing the national anthem."

Gianna sang the most amazing rendition of The Star Spangled Banner that you could possibly imagine. Every person in the entire chamber was completely still, quiet and in awe of this frail young lady's voice.

Due to her cerebral palsy, Gianna often loses her balance, and shortly after starting to sing she grabbed my arm to stabilize herself, and I could tell that she was shaking. Suddenly, midway through the song, she forgot the words and began to hum and then said, "Please forgive me; I am so nervous." She then immediately began singing again and every House member and every guest throughout the chambers began to sing along with her to give her encouragement and to lift her up.

As I looked around the huge hall I listened to the unbelievable melody of Gianna's voice being accompanied by a choir of over 100 voices. I had chills running all over my body, and I knew that I had just witnessed an act of God.

As the song concluded the speaker of the House explained that Gianna has cerebral palsy and is an activist to bring awareness to the disease. "Let us give her a hand not only for her performance today, but also for her advocacy work," he said. The chamber immediately exploded into applause -- she had them all in the palm of her hand.

The speaker then called the House to order, and we proceeded as usual to allow members to make any announcements or introductions of guests. For dramatic effect, I waited until I was the last person remaining before I introduced Gianna.

As I waited for my turn, I nervously paced back and forth praying to God that he would give me the peace, confidence and the courage necessary to pull off what I knew would be one of the most dramatic and controversial moments of my political career.

While I waited, a prominent reporter from one of the major Denver newspapers walked over to Gianna and told her that her rendition captured the spirit of the national anthem more powerfully than any she had ever heard before.

Finally, I was the last person remaining. So, I proceeded to the microphone and began my speech.

"Members, I would like to introduce you to a new friend and hero of mine -- her name is Gianna Jessen. She is visiting us today from Nashville, Tennessee, where she is an accomplished recording artist.

She has cerebral palsy and was raised in foster homes before being adopted at the age of four.

She was born prematurely and weighed only 2 pounds at birth. She remained in the hospital for almost three months. A doctor once said she had a great will to live and that she fought for her life. Eventually she was able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster care.

Because of her cerebral palsy, her foster mother was told that it was doubtful that she would ever crawl or walk. She could not sit up independently. Through the prayers and dedication of her foster mother, she eventually learned to sit up, crawl, then stand. Shortly before her fourth birthday, she began to walk with leg braces and a walker.

She continued in physical therapy and after a total of four surgeries, she was able to walk without assistance.

She still falls sometimes, but she says she has learned how to fall gracefully after falling for 29 years.

Two years ago, she walked into a local health club and said she wanted a private trainer. At the time her legs could not lift 30 pounds. Today she can leg press 200 pounds.

She became so physically fit that she began running marathons to raise money and awareness for cerebral palsy. She just returned last week from England where she ran in the London Marathon. It took her more than eight-and-a-half hours to complete. They were taking down the course by the time she made it to the finish line. But she made it, nonetheless. With bloody feet and aching joints, she finished the race.

Members would you help me recognize a modern-day hero -- Gianna Jessen?"

At this point the chamber exploded into applause which lasted for 15-to-20 seconds. Gianna had touched their souls.

Ironically, Alice Madden, the majority leader and sponsor of the Planned Parenthood resolution, walked over to Gianna and congratulated her.

As the applause began to die down, I raised my hand to be recognized one more time.

"Mr. Speaker, members, if you would allow me just a few more moments I would appreciate your time.

My name is Ted Harvey, not Paul Harvey, but, please, let me tell you the rest of the story.

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…"

BANG! The gavel came down.

Just as I was finishing the last sentence of my speech -- the climax of the morning -- the speaker of the House gaveled me down and said, "Representative Harvey, I will allow you to continue your introduction, but not for the purposes of debating a measure now pending before the House."

At which point I said, "Mr. Speaker, I understand. I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today."

Silence.

Deafening silence.

I then walked back to my chair shaking like a leaf. The Democrats wouldn't look at me. They were fuming. It was beautiful. I have been in the Legislature for five tough years, and this made it all worthwhile.

The House majority leader wouldn't talk to me the rest of the day.

Was it because I introduced an abortion survivor, or was it because we touched her soul? She could congratulate an inspirational cerebral palsy victim and advocate, but was outraged when she discovered that the person she congratulated was also an abortion survivor.

The headline in The Denver Post the next day read "Abortion Jab Earns Rebuke." The majority leader is quoted as saying, "I think it was amazingly rude to use a human being as an example of his personal politics."

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.

The paper went on to quote Gianna, stating she was glad I told her 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?"

All I can say is, "Glory to God!" He orchestrated it all, every minute of it, and I was so honored to have been chosen to play a part. May we all continue to be filled with and to fight for the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ!

-----

These are Ted Harvey's actual words. He says over and over "a survivor of a Planned Parenthood abortion".

Gianna hasn't corrected anyone who has said this since.

And for her ministry to bear any good fruit, she must stop this lie.

[protruth-prochoice]

Article giving date of Gianna's alleged encounter with her bio mom

'I just love to be alive... I was aborted, but I did not die'

Published: 09:27 Wednesday 12 April 2006

Yorkshire Post, UK

Sheena Hastings meets Gianna Jessen, a woman who survived the abortion intended to end her life.

TWENTY-NINE years ago this month, Gianna Jessen's 17-year-old, seven-and-a-half months pregnant mother went into a California abortion clinic.

She underwent a procedure involving saline solution. Like others lying there in the same situation, she then waited to deliver a dead child.

In this young woman's case, something else happened. A live baby was born, a girl. The doctor had gone home, so the nurse on duty called an ambulance to take the infant to a local hospital. Abortion clinics don't have facilities to look after live babies.

Against all the odds, the baby, who weighed 2lb, survived. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and doctors predicted she would never raise her head, let alone sit up, crawl or walk. They said she would almost certainly "be a vegetable".

Gianna Jessen not only lived but she confounded these dire prognostications. Today, she is a fit and healthy singer, writer and pro-life campaigner.

She walks with a pronounced limp, but she's running the London Marathon in aid of a cerebral palsy charity later this month. Injuries have set back her training recently, but she says she'll complete the race "if I have to crawl".

She is not just enthusiastic but passionate about life. She wakes up each day glad to be here in a way the rest of will never quite feel.

"I just love to be alive," she says. "I was aborted, but I did not die. I spent 18 hours being burned inside my mother's uterus, but still survived. I see cerebral palsy as a gift I was given, something I learn from.

"The trauma of abortion meant my brain was starved of oxygen during labour and birth, so I live with the mark of my mother's decision. But I am glad to be here.

"Thinking about my story, you have to question the basis of abortion being about a woman's right to choose. What about my rights as a baby? If the abortionist had still been in the building, he would have made sure I did not survive after delivery, and my rights would have been ignored. It is not our right to murder children."

The US only recently instituted federal laws protecting the life of an aborted but live baby; the UK already had such legislation. It's estimated that 3,000 post-20-week abortions happen a year in England, Wales and Scotland for reasons to do with the mother's health or the child's disability.

No-one in either country is sure how many babies survive late abortion. The upper limit for abortion is 24 weeks. Babies born naturally below that gestation do regularly survive. Disabled babies can be aborted up to birth.

Gianna's mother took her home, but the baby was later put into emergency foster care. At 17 months old, the little girl met Penny, a veteran foster mother. The two "fell in love", says Gianna. She was later adopted by Penny's daughter, Diana.

"Penny became my grandmother, and taught me to fight, not retreat," says Gianna, who now lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She says her mission in life is to fight for the weak – the child, the disabled and the elderly.

"It can't be that the weak are always at the mercy of the strong. It just cannot be. I will never accept that." She and Diana travel the length and breadth of America, speaking at pro-life events.

She does not condone acts of violence against abortion clinics and doctors in the US. "I would never go along with that kind of thing, but to be honest it is not common. The same incidents are recycled over and over in the media, for propaganda purposes."

She says she has forgiven her biological mother, whom she has never wished to meet. Nor has she made moves to find her father. Her mother, Tina, heard about Gianna through the media, met Diana and confirmed the circumstances of the abortion, then turned up at an event where Gianna was a guest two months ago.

"She knew I did not want to meet, but obviously felt her wishes overrode mine," says Gianna. "She is a stranger to me, and when I came face to face with her, forcing herself on me, I couldn't do it. She was very angry, I told her I forgave her, but she did not accept it. She said, 'Forgive me for what?' It was very upsetting."

Gianna Jessen is a devout Christian, but says she understands the discomfort of non-believers when people with faith talk about God in connection with abortion. "I respect their choice about religion, but you don't have to be Christian to understand that abortion is murder.

"There is no negotiation. I don't believe in abortion in any circumstances, for any reason. Medical science is proving every day that human activity is there from the beginning, and even without that, who are we to decide to end a child's life?"

-----

Okay, so alleged date of confrontation was around February of 2006.

Gianna's story about this alleged encounter has evolved, with a new part being that God "warned" her by making her think about what she'd do if Tina ever showed up. I can't help but wonder, if the confrontation wasn't made up or with a random psycho, if the December 2005 comments making allegations not in the Shaver biography triggered it.

Still, we know those allegations were first made by Diana "DePaul" in 1999.