I am going to begin this article with a disclaimer:

This article is opinion. The goal of this article is not to try and change anyone else’s opinion. I am not trying to be offensive, insensitive, or disrespectful. I am merely sharing my personal belief on a highly controversial topic--a topic which we do not discuss nearly enough for fear of offending someone.

Reader, I’m not asking you to agree with me. But I am asking you to listen to my opinion and respect it, because it is just as valid as yours.

I am pro-choice. Read that again: pro-choice. Despite the connotation that term has come to have, I am not pro-abortion. I am pro-choice. This conflict between “pro-life” and “pro-choice” has become so tumultuous that both sides are blown out of proportion, and it has turned into a war--a war that is perpetuated by biased news sources, social media arguments, and blindly biased discussions in which neither party takes into account the viewpoint of the others.

Because I was raised in a liberal household and have found myself aligning with liberal ideals as I grow to be an independent thinker, I can only speak for one side. However, growing up in a conservative community I have become incredibly familiar with the negative stereotypes and exaggerations that are associated with the term “pro-choice.”

I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion. This does not mean that I think every unwanted or unintentional pregnancy should end in an abortion. I simply believe that the decision whether or not to abort a fetus should be the choice of the mother and the father, not the government. The termination of a pregnancy is a decision that is incredibly personal. It is not a decision I can fathom having to make--and therefore, I do not believe that it’s within my rights to make the decision for anyone else.

This is the very essence of the “pro-choice” movement: choice. All moral, ethical, and religious involvement aside, I do not believe that the government has a right to decide what a woman can do with her body and the fetus that is fully dependent on her body.

The concept of choice can be illustrated through a simple analogy. Cigarettes are legal for anyone over the age of eighteen. This does not mean that everyone who turns eighteen is required to smoke cigarettes. I have no desire to smoke cigarettes, because they are bad for your lungs and can have long-lasting negative effects. Therefore, I will use my right to choose and make the choice not to smoke. However, I respect the fact that other people do choose to smoke cigarettes, and I don’t try to make decisions regarding their personal health on their behalf.

It all comes down to the word choice. Just six little letters that carry such weight.

Thank you, reader, for taking the time to read and understand my point of view. I appreciate your openness on an issue that is so controversial and high-profile.

"Women are not an interest group. They are mothers and daughters and sisters and wives. They are half of this country and they are perfectly capable of making choices about their own health." -President Obama

"The decision about abortion must remain a decision for the woman, her family, and physician to make, not the government." -Bernie Sanders