Gianna Beretta Molla
An Italian pediatrician who, during her pregnancy, refused both an abortion and a hysterectomy when diagnosed with a uterine fibroma, choosing to save her child's life at the cost of her own.
- Contemporary era
- Italy
- Feast day April 28
- 1922 – 1962
- Confessor
Born in 1922 in Magenta, Italy, Gianna Beretta was an Italian pediatrician. She led a pious and active life, engaging within Catholic Action and the Conferences of Saint Vincent de Paul. After graduating with a degree in medicine and surgery in 1949, she specialized in pediatrics. She married Pietro Molla in 1955 and had four children. In 1961, during her fourth pregnancy, she was diagnosed with a uterine fibroma. Despite medical advice recommending a therapeutic abortion or hysterectomy to save her life, she courageously refused any intervention that would harm her unborn child. She chose to carry her pregnancy to term, sacrificing her own health for the life of her child. Seven days after giving birth to her daughter Gianna Emanuela, she died of complications (septic peritonitis) on April 28, 1962. Her act of love and sacrifice made her a shining example of sanctity and the defense of life. She was beatified in 1994 and canonized in 2004 by Pope John Paul II.