Sylvester Stallone: Abortion Survivor

[tinytherese]

https://nrlc.org/nrlnewstoday/2024/08/the-power-of-abortion-survivors-and-their-mothers-to-educate-the-public-is-profound/

The power of abortion survivors and their mothers to educate the public is profound

Aug 30, 2024

By Melissa Ohden

Editor’s note. For most of us, Melissa Ohden is the face of a “failed abortion.” You may be aware of the CliffsNotes version of Melissa’s utterly breathtaking story, one that amazes me to this day. In 1977 she survived a saline infusion abortion, a technique that was so dangerous (to the mother) that it is virtually no longer used anywhere. She was adopted by a loving family who raised her as their own. 

Sylvester Stallone’s most famous roles may arguably be as “Rocky” or “Rambo,” but in a recent Unwaxed podcast interview Sistine and he admitted to what I would argue is the defining role of his life–abortion survivor.

As Nancy Flanders of Live Action reported in her article on August 28th, Stallone’s daughters, Sophia and Sistine, were questioning him about his relationship with his mother, Jackie Stallone.

“You had said that your mom was nervous to have you,” said Sistine. “She didn’t want you, right?”

“Not at all,” replied Stallone. “My mother would say, ‘The only reason you’re here is because the hanger didn’t work’ or ‘bouncing down those steps didn’t cause you to get lost.'” 

I concur with Nancy’s statement: “Based on these remarks, it sounds as if Stallone’s mother had tried to kill him in at least one, perhaps multiple, DIY [Do-It-Yourself] abortions.”

Honestly, I shouldn’t be surprised by the “unsuccessful” abortion experiences admitted by famous figures like Stallone. He’s not alone in his experience, joining well-known figures like Cristiano Ronaldo and Pastor Jack Hibbs. But even more importantly, as a fellow abortion survivor and leader of The Abortion Survivors Network, [https://abortionsurvivors.org], stories like Stallone’s, Ronaldo’s, and Hibbs’ are being lived out by everyday people like you and me.

Earlier this week, I met two women at an event who survived at-home attempts to abort them; one before Roe v. Wade and one after. At another event, an attendee shared her experience meeting a pre-Roe survivor in her community. These survivor encounters don’t even count the survivors who have contacted our team online.

Whether it’s at the bank, the hair salon, the grocery store, everywhere I go and dare to mention who I am or what I do, or our organization’s name is shared, it seems as if someone knows someone who survived an attempt to abort them. More often than not, it’s an at-home or “DIY” attempt.

I do not doubt that when at-home attempt survivors see and hear Stallone’s story, they see themselves in it. We often hear it said that representation matters. I can tell you that representation in our culture by abortion survivors is significant.

The secretive, isolative experience of surviving any attempt to abort you, coupled with the cultural misunderstandings about us, lead survivors to believe they must be the only ones this has happened to. The recent passing of Phil Donahue reminded me of the power of the stories and voices of abortion survivors and mothers in not only educating the public but also in reaching those with these experiences.

I can remember where I stood in my parents’ living room all those years ago when Phil interviewed Ana Rosa Rodriguez’s mother. Ana was 32 weeks gestation when her mother, Rosa, went to the New York City abortion chamber of Abu Hayat, the notorious “Butcher of Avenue A” in 1991. Ana survived but lost an arm in the process.

What may have been just another show to Phil, seeing another person like me was one of the turning points in my life.

Abortion survival experiences are diverse, and we have found that more often than not, especially in the U.S., survivors are raised in their biological families.

With the cultural focus on the political fight over abortion, those who survive at-home attempts have often felt like they had no one who would listen to or care about their story.

The story of Michelle Lyman, included in my book, Abortion Survivors Break Their Silence, highlights the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of those who survived illegal or at-home attempts before Roe legalized abortion.

Where there are abortions, there is “unsuccessful” abortion—the baby survives. Abortion supporters turn their survival into an argument that these extremely late abortions are “always going to happen,” so abortion must be legal.

What a strange position to hold. It means ignoring that women are coerced and forced into abortions. Babies are the intended victims but survive more often than most understand. Whole families are affected, especially mothers who parent their surviving child, like Sylvester Stallone’s mother, Jackie, did.

After an abortion attempt, more needs to be done to support women like Sylvester’s mom so that family functioning can have better outcomes.

We see high incidences of abuse and neglect in homes like his. Again, that doesn’t mean he or any survivor is “better off dead.” It means we need to reach moms like Jackie and families like Stallone’s so that support can be provided.

The suffering of his mother in her childhood was significant, as Stallone shared, which he compassionately connected to her difficulties throughout her lifetime, including emotional and relational. As we address the generational impact of abortion on abortion survivors and their families, these vulnerabilities in life are often shared.

I’ve heard so many similar stories to Stallone’s family’s—vulnerable women who have undergone a traumatic childhood that leads to unconscious decisions such as looking to be loved, which then can lead to more traumatic experiences like abortion.

Add in the shock of an abortion attempt not “working.” There is the stress of trying to figure out if the baby will be okay. Add to this the guilt and shame over the years as you raise him or her which can lead to issues with attachment and bonding, and even abuse and neglect in families such as was the case with Stallone.

There’s a lot more that can be unpacked from this bombshell interview between Stallone and his daughters. For now, I want us to acknowledge that he’s not alone in this experience. If you are an at-home attempt survivor or a mother who experienced attempts “failing,” The Abortion Survivors Network has the resources and an online community where you can safely connect with others you can relate to, reducing the pain of secrecy and shame.

Finally, with DIY abortions increasing being marketed, more mothers like Stallone’s and babies like him will continue living out these stories. Ensuring that women are reached with information about resources available to them when they are experiencing crisis or fear during pregnancy is paramount to reducing attempted DIY abortions.

Additionally, training professionals, including medical professionals and social workers, can help to identify the emotional, relational, and familial signs that a failed at-home abortion attempt has impacted a mother and child. With greater awareness, we hope that they can make referrals to helping professionals and to organizations like The Abortion Survivors Network.

Story-based educational campaigns centered on these various experiences, told through the voices of mothers like Jackie Stallone and survivors like Sylvester, are another important component to reach these families, heal generations like his own daughters, and reach the public with stories that highlight the human impact of abortion.

I’ll share more about story-based advocacy and our new initiatives at The Abortion Survivors Network in an upcoming article.

Edited Friday at 09:08 PM by tinytherese
article posted multiple times