Life Empowers with Melissa Ohden

Children still survive abortions today. Hear directly from a mother whose abortion failed, and find out what happened when Melissa was able to meet her.

Sometimes, you just have to talk it all out. Let's talk about all the things...what a long pandemic it's been, how August was one of the longest months EVER, how the Heartbeat bill has been affecting those of us who have been impacted by abortion, what's next...

What does it look like to be healed, empowered and equipped? Hear more about this in this month's episode as you learn more about abortion survivor, Amy Miles. 

This needs to go viral! Listen into Amy's story and Melissa's commentary from the Empowered by Life abortion survivors speakers' panel in Austin, Texas.     

What happens when an abortion suvivor is seen and heard in our culture? What happens when people in power, like members of Congress come face to face with the survivor of the very act they're trying to protect and expand? Will they EVER answer the question about when a woman's right to bodily autonomy begins?

Surviving an abortion is not a protective factor, preventing abortion survivors from having other experiences with abortion. In fact, the experiences of survivors puts us more at risk. Listen to Priscilla's story and learn action steps you can take to support people in your life who have had multiple abortion experiences.

Learn more about Denisha's, the highlighted survivor of the month at The Abortion Survivors Network, survival after multiple failed abortions.   And don't miss hearing about all of the platforms where survivors stories are being shared right now. Breakthrough!

How does a baby survive an abortion that takes the life of their twin?   Don't let the question scare you away from this month's episode of the Life Empowers podcast!   You don't want to miss Melissa's conversation with Claire Culwell, Twin Abortion Survivor in this month's Life Empowers podcast!   Find out more about HOW Claire survived, and prepare to be equipped and encouraged by Claire's experiences in forgiving, loving, and becoming bold through it all.   As Claire's book releases this month, we're excited to celebrate alongside her the power of surviving and finding one's voice.   It's an easy way to not only be encouraged and empowered, but also equipped, in a world that says abortion survivors don't exist and failed abortions don't happen.

Empowerment and Abortion. Two words we often hear together in our society. But....do they really go together? How does it affect abortion survivors to have these two words by synonymous with one another?  How does a baby survive a vacuum aspiration abortion? Don't let the question scare you away from this month's episode of the Life Empowers podcast!   You don't want to miss Melissa's conversation with Jennifer Milbourn - Vacuum Aspiration Abortion Survivor in this month's Life Empowers Podcast!   Find out more about HOW Jennifer survived, and prepare to be empowered, and encouraged by Jennifer's experiences in loving, forgiving and overcoming difficulties and pain.   And be preapared to laugh along with Melissa and Jennifer, who both have a pretty infectious way of living life to the fullest.      

Abortion survivors struggle with rejection, self-esteem and self-worth issues....we're not alone in that, but we face significant obstacles in a world that says we don't even exist.How do you love yourself?Listen in to hear Carrie Fischer's powerful story, and be encouraged to not only love yourself, but love other people and offer forgiveness.

In the first episode of Season 2, Melissa sat down with former Planned Parenthood Educator, Monica Cline, to talk about her experiences as a comprehensive sex educator.When they left off, Monica was just beginning to recognize the impact that this education had on students, what they really needed, and how it all led to where she is today, encouraging and equipping parents and families to be at the forefront of these conversations and life lessons, NOT Planned Parenthood. Be encouraged by Monica's lessons and be equipped with her excellent points for parents and family members.

Monica Cline, the Founder and Director of It Takes a Family is a powerful voice with powerful experiences, when it comes to comprehensive sex education.Listen in to hear what Monica saw, heard, and was a part of, and how that led her to realize that It Takes a Family to surround our children with information and truth. 

Join Melissa as she recaps the topics and guests from this initial season of Life Empowers. What surprised her? What inspired her? Challenged her? Changed her?What surprised, inspired, challenged, or changed you? 

With the end of the year, comes the end of the first season of the Life Empowers podcast. Catch Melissa's recap of how it all began, the lessons she's learned along the way with creating a podcast, faith and purpose in the pandemic, and hear what episodes and guests impacted her the most.

Join Melissa as she talks with Robin Sertell, the author of Miracles in the Wilderness, about her survival of a saline infusion abortion. Robin is an accomplished writer, speaker, counselor and so much more. You don't want to miss this conversation!

Just when you think we haven't gotten "real" enough in this podcast, another interview hits.Join Melissa this week as she has a very "real" conversation with survivor, Priscilla, about just how much her life has been impacted by abortion.Be encouraged by Priscilla's strength in being real, and walking through the process of healing from multiple abortion experiences.

You may know Claire's story, but tune in this week to know more about her survival, and how a surviving twin happens.Hear Claire and Melissa talk about the number of twin survivors that they know, and learn more about how a surviving child impacts the lives of biological mothers.  

The pandemic has highlighted many things in our world. One of which is the difficulty we have as human beings with making sense of statistics that loom so large they seem incomprehensible. Join Melissa as she tackles the difficult reality we face in humanizing huge statistics and losses. Find hope in the fact that as hard as this is, we can humanize this huge loss.

Don't miss Part 2 of Melissa's conversation with Dawn Milberger, as they talk about Dawn's experience of surviving multiple attmpts to abort her, forgiving her biological parents, and how we make a difference in the world.

Through the Abortion Survivors Network, we advocate for legislation that protects lives from abortion. Yet, we also realize that there are many different experiences in surviving an abortion attempt. Some survivors we support survived surgical abortions, some chemical abortions, some abortion pill reversals, some back alley abortions, some at home attempts. Every experience deserves to be heard.Tune into this week’s episode of Life Empowers to hear from Dawn Milberger, about her experience. 

Love is Louder. Listen into our very personal conversation about all the hard things, like having a "big story."

Love is louder. Do you believe that? Louder than the bruality of rape? Louder than depression?  A suicide attempt? Listen to part 1 of my conversation with Jennifer Christie to contemplate how love is louder and find the encouragement to live that out.

"Who's going to care for all these children if they aren't aborted?" I hear that question a lot.  Although concerns are well-intentioned, they aren't always well-informed. Listen in to someone who knows a lot about the issue and is making a difference. Here's Sarah Zagorski's story.

An Inside Look at the June Medical Services Decision with Sarah Zagorski of Louisiana Right to Life. How Did the Supreme Court Fail Women? Where Do We Go From Here? Is There Hope?

You don't want to miss this. Melissa Ohden and her birthmother, Ruth, were interviewed this week on Studio 10, an Australian news program. Hear the perspective of these two women, impacted by abortion who are often silenced by our culture.

Melissa sits down with TJ Burgess, National Men for Life and Jonathan Burton, an ambassador of the organization, to talk about how abortion affects men, how our culture's stance on abortion impacts men, how men can get involved, and healing.

Can you be a feminist and be pro-life?Where do the pro-choice arguments faulter?What's it like to be an abortion survivors who identifies as feminist?Listen in.

Melissa interviewed Rebekah Hagan recently for a virtual event for Innervisions in Des Moines, Iowa.Listen in to learn more about Innervisions, the abortion pill reversal process, and Rebekah's story.

Melissa now has established the habit of needing to try multiple takes at episodes. This time, it was due to the heaviness of the content, surrounding the murder of George Floyd, the protests, the dignity of life, how we all want to be seen, heard and loved.Practice the pause with Melissa, to listen, to reflect. And listen to Melissa's new intro and outro with music. Finally!

Melissa interviews Lyric Gillett, of Faces of Choice, about the Face the Choice ad campaign and how the media buries the stories of abortion survivors and others who don't fit the predominant cultural narrative of abortion as choice.

Melissa tries take two with the initial episode of Life Empowers. Join in to hear more about finding purpose and peace in the midst of the pandemic, the importance of survivors in establishing a culture of life, the happenings at the Abortion Survivors Network and her new book with big news coming soon!