In today’s New York Times [http://www.nytimes.com/...]
, a Texas woman, Beth Matusoff Merfish, poignantly describes how her mother deferred telling her and her sister about her abortion until the girls were ready for college. And how, only when her mother revealed her abortion to two friends, did they first tell her about their own abortions.
Bravo to Beth and her mother for “coming out.” Even among pro-choice women and men, even today, there remains a certain guilty squeamishness about abortion. It’s not something you talk about. As long as that reticence persists, the anti-abortion forces will enjoy an advantage in the political arena. The decision to have an abortion is an important life choice; it may well be a difficult one. But, as I argued in my diary of 2/16/12 [http://www.dailykos.com/...], there is nothing morally wrong with abortion. (The immorality lies with those who would impose pregnancy on a woman who would prefer a different life choice.) Women and their families need to talk openly and yes, shamelessly, about their abortion decisions.