Wichita, KS – A miracle child who was once scheduled to be aborted at George Tiller’s abortion mill in Wichita, Kansas, witnessed outside the clinic’s gate as abortion-bound women sped into the parking lot of the largest late-term abortion mill in the free world.
Donna Joy, a beautiful 16-year old young lady stood outside Women’s Health Care Services with her mom, Lori, who rejected pressure to abort her daughter in 1991.
In her third trimester of pregnancy, Lori was told that Donna Joy had fetal anomalies “incompatible with life.” Those anomalies included a damaged brain, part of which extruded beyond the skull and the worst case of hydroencephaly that the doctors had ever seen. Opposed to abortion for religious reasons, Lori held her ground even though her doctors told her if she did not abort, they would no long provide her with health care.
Lori found a new doctor who delivered Donna Joy prematurely, but the struggle to save her daughter’s life did not end there. The hospital staff urged Lori to withhold food from Donna Joy and let her die “naturally.” Instead, Lori sneaked nourishment to her daughter when nurses were not looking. She had to fight the doctors and hospital staff every day to keep her child alive.
As Donna Joy began to miraculously thrive, Lori became aware of efforts in Congress to ban the Partial Birth Abortion procedure – one she was told would have been used to abort Donna Joy had she allowed it. Donna appeared before Congress as a living testimony against abortions for fetal anomaly. With her help, the law was passed.
Last year, Donna Joy and Lori accompanied Kansas Coalition For Life Director Mark Gietzen to Washington, DC, where they hand delivered the 2007 Pro-life Signature Ad to the U.S. Supreme Court. It is the Supreme Court’s policy not to accept petitions. To Gietzen’s knowledge, that that was the first time that the Court and accepted such a document that was not attached to a pending case.
On Thursday, Donna Joy posed for photos outside Tiller’s mill, stood by her mom as she was interviewed, and gave loving hugs to everyone she could. She was excited about a promised trip to Walmart for art supplies and a visit to Operation Rescue’s new headquarters.
In spite of possessing a brain that shouldn’t work, Donna Joy can read and write and enjoys most of the same things that other teenaged girls enjoy, including shopping, art, and horseback riding. Because her life was spared, she continues to be used to witness to our nation about the sanctity of each and every human life.
Donna Joy and her family plan to stay in Wichita for about a week, and will continue to offer help and hope to abortion bound women outside Tiller’s gate. They pray for the day when Tiller’s clinic will be closed, and babies like Donna Joy will be given the same opportunity for life that she has enjoyed.
To schedule an interview or to have Lori speak at your Wichita area church or group within the next week, please contact Mark Gietzen at 316-522-8866.
View Additional Photos Taken May 15, 2008
