July 20, 2022
A powerful story of adoption told by a woman who survived China’s one-child policy became compelling testimony on July 14, 2022, as Students for Life of America’s (SFLA) Capital Area Regional Coordinator Shaohannah Faith spoke to District of Columbia (DC) councilmembers. Faith’s powerful life story was shared on the anniversary of her adoption, and the significance of the day made her testimony that much more powerful.
Faith’s remarks advocated for why the Councilmembers should vote against B24-726 (Enhancing Reproductive Health Protections Amendment Act) and B24-808 (Human Rights Sanctuary Amendment Act) and support policies that protect women and the preborn. Read a transcript of her testimony or watch it below:
“I am here today to express my opposition to the Human Rights Sanctuary Amendment Act and the Enhancing Reproductive Health Protections Amendment Act. Abortion is the leading human rights atrocity of our time with over 63 million preborn deaths since 1973. At Students for Life, we believe human rights begin in the womb – even the voiceless in the womb have rights worthy of our protection. Just as Councilmember Nadeau’s letter states, we too believe people, including the preborn, should “flourish as meaningful participants in American life.
“These pieces of legislation before you today, specifically the Enhancing Reproductive Health Protections Amendment Act of 2022, would be a roadblock in our legal system, which was set up to hold perpetrators of the law accountable, not to enable illegal behavior. Adding these amendments and furthering abortion violence does not legislate other issues that leaders need to take up.
“Furthermore, the science is not on the side of the Chemical Abortion pills. We know that getting rid of health and safety standards for chemical abortion is anti-woman and anti-science. These pills cause four times the complications as surgical abortion, with a risk of death that is ten times higher, according to a National Institute of Health study.
“The Human Rights Sanctuary Amendment Act of 2022 works to streamline access to Chemical Abortion pills, but we know the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported numerous side effects of these risky pills. Between 5-7% of women who take Chemical Abortion pills will need a follow-up surgery to end the pregnancy – an Australian study noted that up to 8% of women who took the pills in that country ended up in an emergency room. Chemical Abortion pills don’t work well later in pregnancy, or when a woman has an ectopic pregnancy. The FDA also notes that such pills present a risk of death from internal bleeding caused by a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, making a clear case as to why this amendment shouldn’t move forward.
“These issues I speak about today are very personal for me. I was adopted from China as a toddler and stand before you today as a survivor of China’s one child policy. This policy was responsible for and indirectly took the lives of millions of girls and babies through abortion violence and infanticide. TODAY, July 14, is the anniversary of when I was abandoned on a street in Guangzhou to die. The late term abortion policies of our city rival those with horrific human rights abuses such China and North Korea.
“Please do not only see me as a representative of Students for Life of America, who I proudly work for, but also as the small girl left in a box, with a piece of paper bearing my name and birth date, over 20 years ago. My mother did not end my life because she knew that my preborn life had meaning and value, despite the lies told to her that abortion is an easy way out. I survived, but sadly, far too many of my generation are gone.
“I must ask you; how much is a child like me worth? I’ll ask you again, how much is a child like me worth?
“Instead of passing legislation that has practically no limits on abortion or safeguards for the health of women, we must protect all women and children from the violation against their human dignity. Please help protect the preborn from the predatory abortion industry by voting “NO” to stop B24-0808 and B24-0726. Thank you.”