Hi there, John. It's Trudy. I was flipping through some old albums the other day, and I found this photo of my mother. 

My mom was generous and gentle. She always encouraged me to chase after my dreams, and she instilled in me a duty to serve others. She was a great mom, but I know that it wasn't easy for her to care for all of us kids.

Now that I am a mom myself, I can appreciate even more the difficulties she faced. Make no mistake: I love being a mother. My children have brought immeasurable joy and meaning to my life – and being a Gigi to my sweet grandchildren is just the best! But being a mother is a lifelong commitment that can be uniquely challenging.

As a mother, I was fortunate and privileged in so many ways. I became a mother once I had graduated school. I had a supportive and loving husband. I never had to worry about putting food on the table or paying rent. I could just worry about being present for my kids and raising them the best I could.

But even with all of that, motherhood sure wasn't easy, especially when I lost my husband to cancer and became a single mother to six children overnight.

You see, being a mother is about putting every one of your kids' needs above your own; it's about comforting them when you are trying to cope with your own grief; it's about making sure you have done all you can to support their dreams; it's about raising them to be kind, loving, happy people.

Motherhood is beautiful, but it should be a choice. Being thrust into this role and identity when you aren't ready or don't want it is not what is best for women or their babies. It's wrong, and it has real, painful consequences.

This is why I am so strongly – and proudly – pro-choice. And I promise you that as your senator, I will do everything that I can to protect our right to choose, defend patient privacy, and codify Roe v. Wade. This work is so important, John, and it would mean the world to me to have your support today. So please, can I count on your $5 gift to help send a pro-choice nurse to the Senate? Together, we can restore our reproductive freedoms and win victories for the women who need them most.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email and for standing with me.

Warmly,

Trudy