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The baby left to die in a pan: The incredible story of Miriam 'Penny' Hopper revealed by Ron DeSantis

Miriam 'Penny' Hopper claimed that she was saved by her grandmother from a botched abortion in 1955

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: Ron DeSantis used a woman as a primary topic at Wednesday's Republican candidates debate to stress on his anti-abortion stance. While many of the critics of the Florida Governor took to social media claiming that the story was a complete made-up, Daily Mail reports that the woman has been revealed as a grandmother from Michigan. 

Moreover, she is identified as anti-abortion activist Miriam 'Penny' Hopper. On Wednesday night, August 23, the 44-year-old detailed a horrifying event where he claimed that his pro-life views were shaped in part by coming across 'Penny', whose parents apparently tried to abort her. 

It is not known how much of the story is true but the female activist has been telling for years now that she was saved by her grandmother from a botched abortion in 1955. 

What did the Florida governor say?

“I know a lady in Florida named Penny,” the GOP presidential candidate said. “She survived multiple abortion attempts. She was left discarded in a pan. Fortunately, her grandmother saved her and brought her to another hospital.”

Many accused DeSantis of lying 

Steve Schmidt, a founder of The Lincoln Project, wrote on X, "The story of Penny found in the pan by DeSantis is ludicrous, and obviously untrue. It should be looked into by the media." James Gibney, a journalist at Bloomberg Opinion, said, "What reporter will go out and find Penny. DeSantis waffling on direct question on abortion." 

Jill Filipovic, a journalist and author, added, "I understand that politicians lie, but DeSantis's story about 'Penny,' a woman he says survived multiple abortion attempts and was rescued from a pan by her grandmother(????), is just such a bizarre and impossible story, it's stunning that any human is that gullible."

Kylie Cheung first identified Hopper while writing in Jezebel and The New York Times published further details on Friday, August 25. 

What is the alleged past of Hopper? 

In 2020, the woman appeared in a pro-life campaign video and detailed her past as she explained how the tale was based on the accounts provided by her family members. However, there are no documents that can confirm her story, and those involved like her mother, aunt, father, and grandmother, have all died. 

Hopper said that her mother was 23 weeks pregnant at that time when she sought medical assistance at a clinic in central Florida in 1955 as she was suffering from profuse bleeding and other complications. Apparently, abortion was illegal in the state at that time. 

The doctor who allegedly examined her said he could not hear a heartbeat. He induced labor and Hopper claimed her parents were informed, "You do not want this baby to live — if it lives, it will be a burden on you all of your life." Hopper further went on to say that the doctor told a nurse to discard the baby "dead or alive". 

The activist, who weighed just one pound 11 ounces, was then reportedly taken away by a nurse. She said that the nurse "placed me in a bedpan on the back porch of the clinic." When her grandmother and aunt arrived, they found her, and her grandmother called the police and then took her to hospital. 

A newborn born at 23 weeks in 1955 had a small chance of survival 

According to the outlet, medical experts noted that a baby born at 23 weeks in 1955 stood very little chance of survival. Nowadays, nearly 60 percent of infants who are born at 23 weeks survive, if they receive state-of-the-art treatment in a neonatal intensive care unit. DeSantis's team told the outlet that he had met Hopper, and her story had a deep impact on him.

DeSantis signed a new bill banning abortions six weeks into pregnancies

The Florida Governor signed a new bill in April where he banned abortions six weeks into pregnancies, a decision which has outraged many in the country and has been used against him during his presidential bid. A national Democratic operative, who remained anonymous, told Politico how the signing will hurt DeSantis' presidential aspirations.

"We're going to make him own this, and his agenda, everywhere he goes," they said. "We'll hang this incredibly toxic abortion ban and his agenda around his neck with different tactics", the official added, saying their colleagues will go door to door, state to state if needed.