In the September 2003 issue, Glamour wrote about the "November Gang" abortion clinics. The November Gang is a group of thirty abortion clinics that encourage their clients to write good-bye letters to their children and express negative emotions about the procedure.

I wrote about it here and have a links round-up here.

The November 2003 issue of Glamour is out now. It includes five letters-to-the-editor about their earlier article.

The first letter says, "I cried for the women's stories and raised my fist in silent hurrahs for the November Gang clinics. It is great to see women rising to the challenge of, well, womanhood."

The second letter is pro-life: "Dress it up. Pink-heart schmaltz it. Depict the act as honorable, loving and responsible. But how about a dose of reality when you report on abortion? You say that it's about a woman's body; it's not. It's the child's body which is brutally rendered lifeless."

The third letter is from a female minister, Beth Birkholz, in Alpharetta, Georgia. Rev. Beth says that she would be happy to hold someone's hand during an abortion, "as would most of my friends who are pastors. Not all clergy are judgmental 'hims.' Some of us are deeply faithful, prayerfully liberal, hand-holding 'hers.'"

The fourth letter is from someone just like me. "I was completely pro-choice until I had an abortion at 17. Now I would do anything to go back and give someone else the chance to give my baby what I was not ready to give him. My selfishness will haunt me for the rest of my life."

The fifth letter is from a woman experiencing a conflict between her heart and her head, or at least that's how it seems to me: "It's been two years since I aborted my baby and I still struggle with that irreversible choice. Thank you for exploring the isolation, fear and confusion that often come with it. Whether you've had an abortion or not, or are facing the decision right now, never forget that it's your life and your body, and therefore your decision."

All in all, this selection of letters is telling and important. They didn't print one single letter from a woman saying that all she experienced was relief. (I wonder if they didn't get any such letters?)

Considering that "what women experience after abortion is relief" is the primary theme of pro-abortion groups with respect to post-abortion emotions, and considering that Glamour is a long-time staunch advocate of choice and a very widely-read fashion magazine, this is a significant development. I'm very happy about it.