The Abortion Survivors Network

The Abortion Survivors Network We empower the abortion survivor community & those impacted by unsuccessful abortions. Abortion doesn’t always go as planned. Find answers.

Be connected to community. Access resources created for abortion survivors, women and adoptive families.

Abortion survivors have stories that need to be told — and The Abortion Survivors Network makes it easy to tell them.We ...
06/15/2026

Abortion survivors have stories that need to be told — and The Abortion Survivors Network makes it easy to tell them.
We are available for podcast interviews, television, radio, print, and online media. We can connect you with our founder Melissa Ohden, ASN team members, or survivors ready to speak.
To request an interview, contact us at [email protected]

Abortion doesn't just impact one life. Its effects often ripple through families, relationships, and generations.Every d...
06/12/2026

Abortion doesn't just impact one life. Its effects often ripple through families, relationships, and generations.

Every day, we hear stories that are rarely told—stories of abortion survivors, women whose abortions did not go as planned, birth parents, adoptive families, siblings, spouses, children, and grandparents whose lives have been shaped by abortion in ways they never expected.

At The Abortion Survivors Network, we believe these stories matter.

We believe healing begins when people realize they are not alone.

That's why we share survivor stories, research, educational resources, personal reflections, and opportunities for connection from around the world.

If you've ever wondered:
What does it mean to survive an abortion?
How does abortion impact families across generations?
Where can people find hope, healing, and support?

You're in the right place.

Follow us and join a community dedicated to truth, compassion, and the voices that too often go unheard.

Tell us in the comments: What part of our mission resonates most with you?

From our founder, Melissa Ohden:There are moments in life that change everything. And sometimes, those moments come in w...
06/10/2026

From our founder, Melissa Ohden:

There are moments in life that change everything. And sometimes, those moments come in ways we never expected.

Over the years, I’ve heard from women whose abortions did not go as planned—women whose pregnancies continued, whose medication abortions were stopped or reversed mid-process, who discovered weeks or months later that an abortion had failed, or who have spent years trying to make sense of what happened to them. Again and again, I heard the same thing:

"I felt completely alone."

That is why I created A Place to Pause.

Not as a workbook to complete. Not as a set of answers. Not as something that tells you what you should feel. But as a gentle place to set the weight down—even if only for a moment.

A place to breathe.
A place to reflect.
A place to tell the truth about your experience.
A place to begin wherever you are.

If this is your story, I want you to know something:

You are not the only one.

You never were.

Published by The Abortion Survivors Network, this journal was created with compassion, confidentiality, and care for women navigating experiences that are often misunderstood and rarely talked about.

Take your time.
There is no right way to arrive here.

This is simply a place to pause. 🤍

If you are a survivor — or if you love one — save this post. Share it. Pass it on. The truth, told gently, sets people f...
06/08/2026

If you are a survivor — or if you love one — save this post. Share it. Pass it on. The truth, told gently, sets people free.

Read Melissa's full story → abortionsurvivors.org/melissas-story
Connect → [email protected]

FROM THE AUTHOR - I wrote these books because every child deserves to know that their life has meaning, their story matt...
06/05/2026

FROM THE AUTHOR -

I wrote these books because every child deserves to know that their life has meaning, their story matters, and they are loved beyond measure—no matter how their journey began.

I am an abortion survivor. For most of my life, I didn't have words for my story. The Always Series exists so that the children coming after me — and the brothers, sisters, and families who love them — never have to go that long without them.
These books were written gently on purpose. They name what is true without ever making a child feel like the heaviness of an adult conversation. They affirm, again and again, that nothing about who a child is depends on how their story began.
Whether you are a parent, a sibling, a grandparent, an adoptive or foster family, a counselor, or a friend walking alongside someone you love — I'm so grateful these books found their way to you.

With love,
Melissa Ohden, MSW

We believe every survivor’s voice matters.At the Abortion Survivors Network, we are committed to connecting survivors wi...
06/03/2026

We believe every survivor’s voice matters.

At the Abortion Survivors Network, we are committed to connecting survivors with community, informing the public through research and education, and empowering those whose stories have too often gone unheard.

Through groundbreaking research, we are helping bring awareness to the realities faced by abortion survivors and the importance of compassionate, life-affirming support. Through advocacy, we are amplifying survivor voices and working toward a world where no survivor is overlooked or left without care. And through storytelling, we are sharing lived experiences that educate, inspire hope, and remind others they are not alone.

Every conversation, every story, and every connection matters. Together, we are building a community rooted in truth, hope, healing, and support.

Where there is life, there is hope.

06/01/2026

SURVIVOR SPOTLIGHT - Melissa Ohden

"When I was 14 years old, my parents had to tell me something I don't think any parent ever wants to share."

I survived a saline infusion abortion in 1977. I didn't know it until I was a teenager, sitting in my parents' living room, hearing the words for the first time. My biological mother had been 19 and a college student. Her own mother — a prominent nurse — had forced the procedure. I soaked in that toxic salt solution for five days before I was finally delivered, alive, on day five. They expected me to die. A NICU nurse who refused to follow orders is the reason I am here.

Learning the truth at 14 changed the shape of my life. For years I carried it as a secret. As shame. As something I had to figure out alone.

I am sharing this today because I know how many of us are out there — survivors who have never told anyone, or who are just learning their story for the first time. The Abortion Survivors Network exists for you. We've connected with over 675 survivors and counting. We provide healing programs, a private community, and a worldwide platform for those who want one. We will walk with you at whatever pace is yours.

You are not alone.

📖 Read Melissa's full story → abortionsurvivors.org/melissas-story
📨 Connect with us→ [email protected]

To the parent carrying this quietly — we see you.Whatever you're feeling right now — shock, fear, confusion, or somethin...
05/28/2026

To the parent carrying this quietly — we see you.
Whatever you're feeling right now — shock, fear, confusion, or something you don't have words for yet — it makes sense. And there is support waiting for you.
Swipe through our FAQ carousel, "Your Questions, Answered." — we're addressing the questions biological parents ask us most, like:
→ What kind of support do you offer?
→ How much does this cost? (Spoiler: nothing. Ever.)
→ Should I tell my child what happened?
You don't have to have it all figured out to reach out. That's what we're here for.
Connect with us anytime at [email protected] or abortionsurvivors.org

05/26/2026

Every survivor has a story worth telling — and in the month of June, we are honored to begin a new series highlighting the lives, voices, and experiences of abortion survivors.

Welcome to our Survivor Spotlight Series.

Each month, we will feature a different survivor and share part of their story — stories of survival, resilience, healing, and hope.

For the month of June, we are honored to spotlight Melissa Ohden, founder of the Abortion Survivors Network. Melissa survived a saline infusion abortion in 1977 and has spent decades advocating for survivors around the world, ensuring they are seen, heard, and never forgotten.

This is just the beginning of Melissa’s story. We hope you’ll follow along as we share more about her journey and the mission behind the Survivor Spotlight Series. ❤

We've missed you. 💛We stepped back from social media for a while — not because we stopped, but because we were creating....
05/22/2026

We've missed you. 💛
We stepped back from social media for a while — not because we stopped, but because we were creating. Quietly. Carefully. With every survivor, sibling, and family we serve in mind.
Today we want to show you what we've been working on. Five new resources, each written for a different person in the survivor's story:
📖 Always You — a picture book for our youngest survivors.
📖 Always Us — a picture book for the siblings who grow up beside them.
📓 A Place to Hold the Story — a guided journal for adoptive and biological parents raising a survivor.
📓 The Story I'm Still Writing — a guided journal for teens and young adult survivors finding their own voice.
📓 A Place to Pause — a trauma-informed journal for women whose abortion did not go as planned, including those navigating reversal, loss, or hope.

Every one of these came out of conversations with the families we serve. Every one was written because someone asked us, "Is there anything out there for me?" Now there is.
Our two picture books are available on Amazon and through abortionsurvivors.org. We are so excited to share more about our journals soon. Thank you for being patient while we built these — and for trusting us with the work. We can't wait to keep building with you.

Address

4810 NE Vivion Road #25531
Kansas City, MO
64119

Telephone

+18167378685

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