Michele
D A U G H T E R. F R I E N D.
Type of abortion survived: Chemical Abortion
“My story began in the pre-Roe v. Wade era of 1962. As the youngest of seven children in a large, financially struggling family, my conception came at a particularly challenging time for my parents. With the assistance of her OBGYN, my mother attempted to end her pregnancy. Miraculously, I survived the abortion attempt, even after being exposed to 18 methotrexate pills and three days of saline injections.“
What Michele wants you to know:
Seeing the pain, shame, and guilt my mom suffered through her two abortion attempts shows the trauma of abortion. Only for the babies who suffer in the womb, but for the women who endure the abuse of those who have reduced the life of a baby to just a procedure. A procedure that will not remove pain or difficulty from a woman’s life, but will only worsen it as they seek forgiveness from the pain of an abortion.
I am here to tell you that, as painful and wrong as it is to take the life of your own child, there is complete freedom and forgiveness for anyone who has been down this road. There is no condemnation or judgment from your loving Heavenly Father. He longs for you to come to Him and share your pain. After all, He already knows everything about it and is just waiting, longing, for you to let His love heal your heart.
Please don’t run from Him; run to Him and to those of us who are here with open arms, ready to help you heal.
Michele’s Story
In the fall of 2021, I heard the painful words from my mom (then just shy of her 91st birthday) that she had tried to end my life in the womb. My mom had carried this pain in her heart for almost 60 years and needed to fully experience the forgiveness of God for something she really didn’t understand at the time. All she knew was that she could not fathom bringing another child into her and my dad’s world of poverty. Where would they put another child in their one-bedroom, cold-water flat when they were already out of room? They already had six children to feed and house on my dad’s meager salary and did not understand the supernatural provision of God at that time in their lives.
My story began in the pre-Roe v. Wade era of 1962. Being the youngest of seven children in a large, financially oppressed family, I couldn’t have been conceived at a more difficult time for my parents. Through the assistance of my mom’s OBGYN, I miraculously survived the abortion attempt on my fragile little life in the womb after the doctor gave my mom 18 pills of methotrexate and saline shots for three consecutive days. This was the second abortion attempt my mom experienced, as she had attempted to abort my 11-month-older sister, Rose, following the same protocol by the very same doctor. This paints the picture of how desperate my mom was at the time and how much pain and shame she carried for so many years before telling both my sister and me her story of desperation.
Not only did that OBGYN try to end my life, but this same doctor actually delivered me. If that wasn’t enough, that same doctor even gave me the name Michele. Because my mom did not have a name picked out for me, her seventh child, the doctor quickly called out, “That’s Michele,” to which my mom decided to hold on to. Little did my mom know at that moment the significance of my name.
As I have been working through the different responses I have battled due to trauma in the womb, including a spirit of rejection, fear, anxiety, etc., I cried out to God this past year regarding the fact that not only did my mom try to end my life in the womb, but she didn’t even have a name for me when I was born. God so lovingly whispered to me in my heart, “That doctor did not name you—I did!” Wow. That one moment brought me to a place of total acceptance of who God called me to be. Not only did He spare my life for a purpose—so I could love Him above all else and share that same love with others—but He gave me a name that means, “Who is like God.” God was saying in that very moment, you are my child—you even look like me.
To add even more significance to my name, I struggled with the feeling that I did not belong in my family. It was like I was on the outside looking in at that happy family I just couldn’t wrap my head around belonging in. The fact that my siblings teased me and told me that I was left on the front porch in a basket, unwanted, and that my parents adopted me, did not help the situation. Just last year, my sister and I found the Italian immigration documents of my fraternal grandfather. I had always resented that I had the name Michele when no one in my family did. When we looked at the immigration documents, there was the name of my great-grandfather, Michele Salerno (Michael in English)—the exact spelling of my name, Michele with one “L.” Not two “L’s” like most people spell it, but just one! That was another God moment where He reminded me that not only did He choose me to be in His family, but He chose me to be in the earthly family I was born into. Without my mom even knowing it, I was named after my great-grandfather from Italy. I did belong in my family, in spite of all the feelings of rejection I battled.
These little God winks may seem small to so many, but they are huge to me. The fact that God takes the time to share little nuggets of His love with His handprint all over our lives is just so amazing to me. God has a purpose for each and every life He creates in the womb. Each life in the womb is uniquely created because of the great love of our Heavenly Father. His passion for each life began even before creation, even before we were conceived in the womb. He leaves His little marks of love and acceptance all over our lives, but sometimes we cannot make our way through all the pain long enough to see it. But that’s okay, as He takes us just like we are—totally loved and treasured—and He comes into our hearts and makes us new from the inside out until we begin to look more and more like Him, our true Father.
Today, my sister Rose and I passionately share our story of healing and forgiveness for our mom and her doctor as we recover from the trauma of our chemical abortion attempts. We have a strong bond as survivor sisters, and we are truly so much more than sisters. I am so very grateful for the Abortion Survivors Network and Melissa Ohden. They have brought the face of humanity to the issue of abortion. When you look into the eyes of an abortion survivor, you look into the eyes of a loving Heavenly Father who loves you no matter what you have done or where you have been, and who calls you by name. No condemnation—just His pure love and forgiveness for all, because you matter. Every person and every life conceived matters to Him!
Michele’s message to a mom considering abortion:
Please do not let the difficult situation you may find yourself in determine that you cannot bring your baby into the world. I was surprised and overwhelmed to learn about all the help that is available for women in crisis pregnancy situations. There are so many warriors for life who will help you either keep your baby or find an adoption solution that fits your needs.
I am reminded of the testimony of a young man from Louisiana, Justin, who was conceived in rape. He shares how his life mattered and how his mom’s life mattered. In the midst of this horrific situation, his mom understood that the pain of abortion could not remove the pain of rape. What a powerful story of hope, and watching this young man make a difference in the world as he shares his story says it all.
There is always hope, even in the darkest situations. Just ask my mom, who looks back now at the decision she made to end our lives, and imagine what she would do without my sister Rose and me. Rose and I have felt the pain she expresses, and just seeing the tears roll down her face says it all.
You don’t have to carry a lifetime of pain from the decision of abortion; there are so many other options. Your baby’s life matters, and your life matters too!