I saw a patient this week who desired an abortion because she had recently been very sick in the hospital and had a lot of medical issues going on. “Right now is not a good time for me to be raising a child,” she said.

She came to her procedure with her mother, and everything went very smoothly. She was very composed during the procedure. At the end, I told her, “You were very brave.”

“Me? Of course, I’m brave! I’ve gone through 11 brains surgeries!” she exclaimed.

I sometimes forget how resilient my patients are. I also forget that abortion may not be the only procedure a patient has gone through. They have often braved many things in life that to them are much more intense in comparison. My patients constantly remind me that the human spirit is undeniably courageous.