By Emily Drooby

“I was actually aborted and I survived.”

These were the words spoken by Melissa Ohden at the annual International Gift of Life Walk in Manhattan, March 25.

Fourty-one years ago, doctors performed a failed saline infusion abortion on Ohden’s birth mother.

“Of course they believed that when I was delivered in the final step of the abortion procedure that it had been successful, but I was accidentally born alive,” she said.

Ohden and hundreds of other pro-life activists, including many Knights of Columbus and members of the Diocese of Brooklyn, gathered in downtown Manhattan for the annual march focused on preserving life from conception to natural death.

Abortion Capital

New York has long been known as the abortion capital of America. Abort 73, a Christian organization that collects data on abortions, estimates that 239 children are killed every single day in the state.

Pro-life activists are alarmed by the high abortion rates and by new state laws that severely limit restrictions on abortions. Bridge to Life President Catherine Donohoe is now doing everything possible to push back. She says events like this send a strong message.

“To let people know, that all of New York doesn’t follow suit with our mayor and our governor who signed into bill RHA [Reproductive Health Act] that allows abortion up until the day of the baby’s birthday,” she said. “Now we are praying to save the babies, unborn and newly born.”

Event organizer Dawn Eskew, said the walk is a way to empower those with anti-abortion views who might be afraid to speak out.

“This is one way to encourage New Yorkers you need to speak,” said Eskew.

If you can’t speak about pro-life issues in the public or try to educate people in the public then we will never advance.”