Protect Baby Nessa at All Costs: Young ‘Wicked’ Actress Cesily Collette Taylor’s Parents Pressured to Abort, But Instead Chose LIFE
By: Rachel Nesmith, originally published December 17, 2024, Students for Life Action
As a huge Broadway fan, I couldn’t wait to see the cinematic adaptation of one of my favorite musicals, Wicked. It didn’t disappoint, and many other viewers in the theater and online felt the same. All it takes is one social media search to find people dressing up in their favorite character’s outfits, learning the choreography, and, yes, even poking fun at the press tour. Even with all the talk about Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, one young star, Cesily Collette Taylor, stood out not only for her performance but her parents’ powerful story of choosing Life over abortion.
Indirectly, the often-pro-abortion media and users agreed. Many users were enamored by her performance as Baby Nessarose, a wheelchair-bound character, vowed to “protect her at all costs,” commented on her adorableness, and “awed” over her acting. But not all of it was an act. At the Wicked premier, Taylor was dressed to impress in her wheelchair. Since the character of Nessaroe is in a wheelchair, the Wicked director Jon Chu cast an actual wheelchair user in part for authenticity and to give those with disabilities representation.
As I did more research, I discovered that Taylor was diagnosed with Spina Bifida while still in utero and uses a wheelchair as her primary mobility aid.
However, searching for more information on Taylor, I discovered that we almost didn’t experience her heartwarming performance. After receiving her pre-natal diagnosis, doctors pressured her parents to end her life via abortion.
“When my wife and I found out we were having a baby girl, it felt like a dream come true,” Collette’s father explained. “But then the doctor told us she’d be born with Spina Bifida and would never move from the neck down. They even suggested we terminate the pregnancy. That was heartbreaking, but we refused to give up. We promised that she would be loved and have a happy life. Cesily proved them all wrong… to every parent of a child with Spina Bifida: know there is light at the end of the tunnel.” (emphasis added)
The life that many abortion supporters adore is the same life they cheer to be executed in the womb. Taylor’s life serves as a beautiful reminder that individuals with disabilities are valuable and capable and that more preborn babies deserve a chance at life, regardless of their health conditions.
Sadly, prenatal diagnoses are used far too often to determine if a preborn child should live or die, and 85% of the time, these tests aren’t even accurate. But, even if an early prenatal test gets it right every blue moon, a doctor shouldn’t suggest abortion and promote a deadly form of ableism that only succeeds in stripping our society of unique and unrepeatable individuals.
In Taylor’s case, the doctors wildly underestimated what level of mobility she would be able to achieve, which is not surprising considering that prenatal diagnoses are wildly inaccurate.
Taylor proves aborting individuals with disabilities does not improve society simply by how she’s blessed and inspired others around her and the world.
Instead, abortion culture perpetuates the backward idea that individuals with disabilities have less to offer than those without disabilities. Maybe all the excitement surrounding Baby Nessarose is an opportunity for us to see and acknowledge every person’s humanity and potential.
Cesily Collette Taylor’s parents said no to the wickedness of abortion so she could touch those around her and now shine as a young Wicked star and hopefully go on to inspire in other movie roles.
Rachel Nesmith is the Capital Regional Coordinator at Students for Life of America.
Image: Students for Life Action