Every woman has the rights to her own body. Every woman should be able to choose to terminate any unwanted or unplanned pregnancy should she decide that an abortion is what’s best for her and her fetus.

If a woman conceives a child by her rapist, she should have the choice to decide if raising that child is what’s best for her. Most of us will never have to face such a challenging decision. For a moment, put yourself in the shoes of someone who did have to make the decision to become the mother of their rapist’s baby. If a woman knows that she would not be able to emotionally handle raising that baby, if she questions whether she could love that baby, then isn’t her best she gets to make the decision as to whether the life of that fetus would be worth living?

If a woman is told at 19, during her undergraduate years of college that she’s pregnant shouldn’t she get to decide if she will follow through with it? Med school was the plan but now she’s pregnant and she’ll have to drop out to get a job maybe as a burger flipper at McDonalds. Her baby will grow up living in poverty and the mother will never be able to afford the life that she believes her baby deserves.

Should a teenager have to drop out of school to raise a baby that was conceived accidentally? Should she be punished for the lack of a substantial Sex Ed program in the public schools? She also will live a life of guilt, wishing that she could afford to give her baby a better life.

There are a hundred reasons that a woman may not be ready to have a baby. And if she isn’t ready why should she ruin her life because of a mistake? Why should she subject a child to a life where she cannot support him emotionally or financially?

But when I say that I’m pro choice I get dirty looks from people, especially members of my church. I see signs that say things like "You can't be catholic and pro-abortion." Well, I'm catholic. Very Catholic. But I'm not pro-abortion? What even does that mean? That I'm going to force someone who want to keep their baby to get an abortion? That's insane! Maybe as insane as forcing someone who isn't ready to be a mother to keep her baby?

Because I want women to have basic human rights, does that make me a murderer? If a woman chooses to terminate her pregnancy does that make her a monster? If a doctor performs the procedure on a consenting adult who decides it is not the right time does that make him the spawn of satan? No. No. No.

Personally, I would not have an abortion. For myself, I am pro-life. I want my basic human rights and I want the option to terminate a pregnancy if that’s what’s best for me. I won't use this right but I deserve to at least posses it.There’s no special or noble reasoning. I couldn’t emotionally handle the stress or heartache of losing what could have been.

I’m not defending the women who use abortion as a birth control. There will always be people who abuse the law, abuse the system and there is no real way around that. But would you trash welfare all together because some abuse it? Take it from the people who truly need it? So, I’m pro life personally because I believe that it is what’s best for ME. But I’m pro choice politically, because everyone has the right to make their own decisions about their body. No one should take that from them no matter what it is in regards to.