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Abortion Survivor: Josiah's Story
In 1995 there was a woman in South Korea who though she was not married, had lived with a man for five years. They already had a daughter, and she was now pregnant once more. Due to their financial situation, the mother decided to have a curettage abortion two months into her pregnancy. The purpose of a curettage abortion is to basically go into the womb and slice the baby into pieces and then bring them out in pieces. However, even though she had the procedure, she realized at five months that the abortion had failed and the baby was still alive and growing inside of her. At this point the family decided to get an adoption plan together. On October 7, 1995 the baby was born, a boy. He was healthy except for the fact that he had a deformed arm. The boy then stayed in a foster home until he was thirteen months old, at which point he was brought home to his adoptive family in Norman, Oklahoma in the U.S. That child is me
Growing up, I was an active child. I played sports, did boy scouts, etc. Despite the fact that I have one arm I still get along pretty well, and can do most things everyone else can. I grew up in a Christian home, my father is the pastor of worship at our family’s church, and my mother the elementary director. So growing up abortion was not a grey area in my family. From a young age I knew that abortion was murder, I knew that it was wrong. So when at the age of twelve my parents told me about my mother’s abortion, it blindsided me. Up to that point I had always wanted to eventually meet my birth parents, I had always had respect for them for giving me up for adoption and sending me to a good home. However, the revelation of my birth mother’s original plan for my life wiped away all of that away. For a long time I then struggled with anger towards my birth parents for their choice. I even struggled with depression for a little while, much of which came from knowing that my own birthparents didn’t even want me originally.
But as I grew older, I came to a place of forgiveness for them. As I thought about it more, I grew more and more of an appreciation for my adoptive parents who did want me. I grew in gratefulness and wonder to God. He had purposefully saved me from that untimely death. I believe one of the reasons He did so was to specifically use me in the fight to end abortion. I have since then done various things with other prolife organizations, and I get involved as much as I can wherever I can. As an abortion survivor I have been given a unique perspective on the subject of abortion, and people are more willing to listen to me. In the end, I’m just thankful to God for saving me, and give all glory to Him. I want to let my story be used to save lives and further His Kingdom.
Josiahs Speech in Dublin in 2014
I would just like to start off by thanking you for giving me the privilege to speak here today. I count it a great honor to be able to do so. I want to personally thank Dr. Eoghan, he is the one who originally saw the video “listen to the beat” that I did with Ryan ONeil. And Dr. Defaoite was the one who originally contacted me about coming and speaking. I would also like to give a shout out to Ryan ONeil who was the one who put the stuff together to do the video, he did an awesome job. I would also just like to thank God for saving me all those years ago and opening the doors that He has, for me to share my story. All glory goes to Him.
In the year 2008, when I turned 13, my adoptive parents told me something that greatly changed my life. They told me of how my biological mother 2 months. In to her pregnancy with me had a curettage abortion. Thankfully, the abortion failed and they realized that my biological mother was still expecting at 5mths. I was born later on October 7th, 1995 missing a limb. Whether or not I was missing a limb due to the abortion I know not. I also wonder if whether or not I had a twin. Considering the fact that the purpose of a curettage abortion is to slice up the preborn baby, bringing them out in pieces, what else would have made the doctor stop unless he had brought out one baby, not knowing there was a twin thus thinking that the procedure was over? Anyways, my parents told me that my birth parents had the abortion due to financial difficulties. After the abortion failed, and I was born I was placed with Eastern Child Welfare, an orphanage/foster home ministry. I was adopted from South Korea, and brought to my now adopted family in the state Oklahoma in the U.S. at 13 months. Though the abortion failed, this event has dramatically changed my outlook and approach to life, it has given me an appreciation for life and how fragile it is. This event has given me even more admiration for my parents and thankfulness to my Lord.
To be honest, when I was first told of my birth parents solution to the revelation of my conception, it hurt deeply. I don’t know if I have ever been told something that hurt more. It struck deep to my inner core just knowing that if things had gone the way they planned I would be dead right now, never given a chance at life. This hurt built up an immense malice towards my birth mother. For years I struggled with hatred for her and sometimes for myself. I struggled with depression thinking, “My own mother didn’t want me to the point of trying to kill me.”
Eventually though, once I was able to get past my self-pity, it showed me God’s hand in my life. Psalm 139:13-16 says:
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:13-16)
I realized how much God loved me. But I also realized that not only am I important to God, not only does God care about and love me; but every baby is important to God, every baby is cared about by God, every baby is loved by God, from the moment of conception. I also realized how much my parents loved me. They willingly adopted me in spite of the fact that I had “physical disabilities.” Once I was able to get outside of myself, I saw how much love had been poured upon my life. It made me a better pro-life witness. And the list continues of how the positive effects of this I found outweighed the negative effects. I saw the gospel in a way I had never viewed it before, I saw it in a personal way. I saw how my adoption is a picture of how God adopts us into His family.
Because of the events of my past, and the understanding of what the Lord has done for me I was able to move forward in ways to further His kingdom, to be a voice for the voiceless, to stand up for truth. Proverbs 31:8-9 says:
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
That is who these unborn babies are! They cannot speak for themselves. They are destitute, and we are commanded here in this passage of scripture to speak up for them. These unborn children need us to stand up for them. My involvement in the pro-life arena started when I wrote a blog post for a local pro-life group. Through my story, the Lord has opened doors for me to speak the truth about abortion and His love for us. All of this has spawned from a passion for the unborn who have no voice because that’s who I was, and out of a response of thankfulness to God for sparing me.
Also, through my involvement, I have had many discussions with pro-choice people. Many of whom are always talking about a woman’s right to abortion, her body, her choice. My answer to this is, what about the unborn babies’ rights’? What about the rights of the millions of little women killed each year by abortion? Or what about the little boys rights? There is very little debate with today’s technology over whether or not life starts at conception, it has been proven that life does start at conception, and at conception there is a new human life inside of the mother. It’s not a question of whether or not the unborn is human. I mean, that’s ridiculous, dogs have dogs, cats have cats, and humans have humans! The question is whether or not we give value to these lives and recognize their rights. These precious babies in the womb are human beings just like us! The most important word in human rights is, human!
Now, though the events of my biological mother’s abortion still haunts me, and I speak out against abortion, I do not do so without a solution. I was adopted into a loving family who specifically chose me out. I have 11 siblings, 9 of which are adopted. This is a photo of my 9 adopted siblings. I have two older brothers who were not adopted, and are not in this photo because they were already married and starting their own families when this photo was taken. My oldest sister Eliana is adopted from Haiti, we got her when she was 11. My second oldest sister is Moriah who my parents came to adopt due to a crisis pregnancy situation. Elise is my third oldest sister and my parents adopted her from an orphanage in South Korea. Then there are Shoshana, Shylin, and Darius; a sibling group that my parents adopted from Oklahoma. Then there is Mia also adopted from Oklahoma. Then there is Christopher who is Eliana’s half-brother who my parents adopted from an orphanage in Haiti. Finally, there is Kenzia who my parents adopted through a crisis pregnancy outreach center in Tulsa Oklahoma. I say all this to show that there are families out there willing and desiring to adopt the least of these. I was saved from an untimely death, but not only saved I was placed in a loving home where I was cared for, and taught about the love of God. My admiration and love for my parents has grown more and more over the years as I have witnessed their love and sacrifice for me. When no one else wanted me my parents and God did. So as I speak out against abortion, I also speak out declaring a solution! I speak out with the knowledge and experience of how there is a better answer than abortion for women finding themselves in a position not able to care for the child they have conceived.
Throughout the years this event has followed me of how my untimely doom was thwarted by God. It was not till the last couple years of my life I have seen how fortunate I was. I have come to a place of forgiveness towards my birth parents. I have come to a place of wondering if they know the savior of the universe, I wonder if they think about me ever. The Lord has brought me to a place where I would like to meet them and let them know that I forgive them, and tell them about the reason I have forgiven them. This event in my life has affected me so greatly because if the abortion had worked I would not be here today, I would have never been given a chance to follow and serve the Lord here on earth. This negative experience, though I let it affect me negatively at first has been one of the most character building experiences I have been through. It has been one of the most enlightening and spiritual journeys through which I have walked. Abortion has affected me in unspeakable ways, and I am just thankful to the Lord for his preserving of my life so that I may further His kingdom. That is my aim in life, to further the kingdom of God for His glory! In conclusion, I would like to just encourage each and every one of you here as you stand up against abortion. Abortion is the destruction of beautiful innocent human beings who are important, who do have value, and who are loved. Thank you for your time.