UPDATE 10/02/15:
Despite reports that Bonow is in hiding after receiving death threats, she maintains that that is not the case and recently spoke out to refute those claims. In a blog post that originated on her private Facebook account and was published with permission on The Stranger, she specifically calls out the LA Times for "sensationalizing" the facts. She wrote:
First of all, I want you all to know that I have not received any acute, seemingly credible threats. And while all the facts in this article are correct, the overall tone is sensational. It's true that the Daily Caller (Tucker Carlson's online rag) published the name of the apartment building where I live, and there was also an attempt to log into my gmail from somewhere other than my computer—in Seattle. And of course, all the usual stuff on Twitter and in comment threads that Lindy and countless other women who do what she does encounter every single day.
She went on to say that she chose to "avoid her own fear" rather than a credible threat. She also rejects the notion that she is the focus of this story, noting that #ShoutYourAbortion was meant to be "entirely decentralized."
See the original story from 10/01/15 below.
Amelia Bonow and Lindy West started #ShoutYourAbortion to end the stigma of abortion for women who might be too afraid to speak up and the hashtag quickly became a fixture on Twitter. Women from all over the world were sharing their experiences on a public platform. However, things took a turn when Bonow’s home address was posted online and she began receiving death threats. Now, she and her boyfriend have left their apartment altogether.
The LA Timesreports that David Hale, vice president of development at Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands, reached out on Tuesday to check on her wellbeing. Concerned, he referred her to Planned Parenthood’s security expert, who then connected her with Seattle Police Department and the FBI.
“It does take people who are bold enough and brave enough to stand up and say they won’t be intimidated,” Hale told reporters. “The least we can do is arm her with what we’ve learned about how we have kept our patients and staff safe over the years.”
Given how far people are willing to go to push their agendas, it's not surprising that these precautions were taken. And despite the threats on her life, Bonow doesn’t seem to be backing down any time soon. “We’re not going to be drowned out by the people who make me not want to be at my apartment now,” she said on Wednesday afternoon. “Many women want to live in a world where you can say, ‘I’ve had an abortion, and I’m perfectly fine with that,’ and not have people saying they want to kill you.”
