`Abortion survivor' tells story
By MAUREEN SMITHE
News Writer
The rights of unborn babies depend on the generation of today and the guidance of God, according to Dawn Kober, who calls herself an "abortion survivor."
"You are the country's future. It is exciting to me that you are the generation that will make a difference," Kober said in a lecture sponsored by Notre Dame Right to Life. "Your stand on abortion does make a difference, but no matter what cause we stand for or how noble our intentions are, we can't do it without the grace of God."
Kober's stance on abortion arose out of very personal circumstances. At the age of 21, Kober attended a Pro-Choice rally at the urging of a co-worker.
"To me at that time, abortion did not signify the death of a baby. No one helped me to understand what it is — that it is the murder of a baby and not a solution," she said.
Upon her arrival back home from the march, Kober was "excited to watch the news coverage. I figured that from my father's `flower-child' background that he would be proud of me for taking a stand."
However, with a soberness that she had never before seen, Kober described how her father proceeded to explain that he and her birth mother were just 19 and 20 when her mother became pregnant. "A baby did not fit into the dreamscape of her life," Kober said.
At that time, abortion was illegal and expensive. It took her father 11 weeks to find the necessary $500 and a clinic. After the short procedure, Kober's father and birth mother were told to wait 48 hours for the process to be complete, but "to God's credit and absolutely none other the abortion failed," she said. "Where abortion is concerned, I am a very rare case."
On February 7, 1968, Kober was born a healthy 7- pound girl without a trace of injury from the attempted abortion. Eleven months later, Kober's mother abandoned her and her father, leaving Kober with "low self-esteem, fear of rejection and avoidance of conflict," she said.
When she finally reconnected with her mother at the age of 21 due to a chance encounter, Kober said they failed to find a common bond.
"I wanted her to think that I was very sophisticated and I was expecting to feel that way. No matter how hard I tried to be 21, it was as if all of my hurt and resentment and bitterness came on me. I felt like a wide-eyed little girl," Kober said.
Kober said she draws on her own experiences to inspire herself and others.
"I would love to see a law come into effect where women who are in for an abortion be required to hear their baby's heartbeat before the procedure is carried out," she said. "I speak to you tonight on behalf of all unborn Dawns who would have been our future generation."
All News Stories for Thursday, November 4, 1999
