I have a decision to make, and I'm hoping you can help.
I imagine any of you who've been in a bookstore in the past year or so have seen this book. (Take a minute to read the editorial review, to get a feel for it.) I'm not even what the mainstream would define as a "liberal", and yet, I'm nauseated by the book. Anyone who can earnestly claim that a giant segment of our population considers abortion a "sacrament" is both out of touch with reality and lacking in the most human quality of all - the ability to sympathize.
This woman is writing a response to Coulter's book. She's an author of several other bestsellers, and - for lack of a better term - a token Democrat for Fox News. Her assistant approached me a few days ago and asked for permission to reprint Thomas's story in a chapter about the need for safe, legal abortion.
I was flattered that Susan had even heard of me, and grateful for another opportunity to share our experiences to broaden the minds of others who might otherwise be tempted to think of abortion in black-and-white terms. I agreed immediately to allow her to use the story.
It also dawned on me that this might be a good opportunity to help me attain a literary agent for my own book. At the very least, it would lend some weight and national attention to our story.
Which leads me to the big question: my name.
Do I attach my full name to this story? Or do I use a pseudonym? It's a question I'd have to answer one way or another if and when I proceed with my book. But now, I'll have to decide more quickly. By the 30th, to be precise.
There are obvious advantages to attaching my name:
1. Making a "name" for myself. Pun intended.
2. Pride. Not only for myself, but for Thomas, and my whole family. We should never have to hide ourselves or be ashamed of what we did for him. Nor should any woman who's had an abortion.
3. Assuming I did one day publish my own book, the only way to successfully market it would be to personally engage - through book tours, readings, radio and TV spots. So my face would be connected with it, regardless of the name.
And there is a big disadvantage to attaching my name:
1. Scary, dangerous fanatics.
This one may override all others. My family's security is paramount. PARAMOUNT. I do recognize that the most likely consequence to all of this would be condescending prayers for the welfare of my eternal soul. (I welcome prayer, but not false prayer that's really only intended as pity or scorn.) I might also receive unwanted mail (pictures, "literature", etc.), but I imagine this can be circumvented by a P.O. box and someone to screen the contents.
But there are still that select cadre of human beings (I use the term loosely) who think killing is an answer. Clinics are still bombed. Doctors and providers are still targeted. Would this risk extend to me? How could I take measures to safeguard my family?
Also, I have an established career as a freelance writer. Would publicizing our experiences cost me future business? Would it make me easier to trace? How would I bridge those two worlds if I used a pseudonym?
A good friend is trying to set up a meeting for me with Sarah Weddington. (And yes, I might wet my pants if that actually happens.) If anyone would know the implications of having your name forever linked to the topic of abortion, it would be her.
Do any of you have any thoughts on this? I'm swaying wildly from one side to another with every passing moment. What would you do?
