Actress Mercy Eke Says Her Mother Tried to Abort Her, But She Survived
Mercy Eke is one of those rare children who survived an abortion attempt on her life.
Pressured by an aunt, Eke said her mother tried to abort her several times without success. Years later, Eke said her mother is glad she is alive, The Will reports.
A Nigerian actress and winner of the reality show Big Brother Naija season 4, Eke shared her story in an interview this month with media host Chude Jideonwo. Although no one knows exactly how many babies survive abortions worldwide, she likely is one of thousands who are alive today.
The youngest of six children, Eke said she was viewed as a burden by her aunt.
“[My mother] already had five children and she became pregnant again,” the actress said. “She has four girls and one boy. So, when my aunty came, she was like, ‘Ah! Emilia, is this another pregnancy? With all these children you’ve dumped here.’”
Eke said her aunt’s comments really affected her mother. Nigeria protects unborn babies by banning elective abortions, but her mother began thinking about ways to abort her unborn daughter herself, according to the report.
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“She used to go to the farm, she would climb some things so she could fall just to get rid of me but me, I stubborn. I no go anywhere … Yeah, it is a true story,” Eke said.
Now, she said her mother is thankful that the abortion attempts did not work.
“One day, she was like she wished that my aunt was alive to see what that girl that she wanted to abort that time has grown to become,” Eke continued. “She is happy with me. She is happy that she didn’t abort her pregnancy. She is happy that I didn’t die and she is happy she gave birth to me; like she took that risk even without anything.”
Eke is not alone. LifeNews has covered many stories of abortion survivors across the world, and the Abortion Survivors Network, based in the U.S., has connected with 650 abortion survivors to-date. Likely, there are thousands more.
In the United States alone, babies survive abortions every year, but only a few states keep track. LifeNews recently examined data from seven states, and, between 2020 and 2022, 34 babies were reported born alive in botched abortions.
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, as well as the personal testimonies of nurses and abortion survivors themselves, also provide evidence that babies survive abortions. According to the CDC, at least 143 babies were born alive after botched abortions between 2003 and 2014 in the U.S., though there likely are many more.
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