i received a safe and legal abortion when an unplanned pregnancy followed not long after the birth of my second child. because i was treated with respect and care, and because the choice to end the pregnancy fit with my life plan and my core values, the event was not traumatic.

i shared this fact in one of my books (i’m an author) and in a woman’s magazine where i was a contributing editor. i received hate mail and even a death threat. the rage was evoked not by my choice to terminate the pregnancy, but rather by my unapologetic sharing that i was not in emotional pain or distress about my decision or the procedure. i simply felt gratitude and relief. i cannot imagine the terror of being forced to carry and birth a child involuntarily.