I know that this is an incredibly sensitive topic, especially now with all that is going on in this country, but that exact reason is why I feel compelled to write this article. Let me begin by saying I am a proud feminist. Judging by my article headline you may be unsure about my intentions but hear me out. I believe, that in every single way, women and men are equal. Women are not better than men, men are not better than women: I believe we are all 100% equal. While women are able to do things men cannot (giving birth being one of them) and men obtain strengths that sometimes women do not, we are all human beings which is enough of a reason for us to be viewed as equal. Men and women bring different things to the table but that is the beauty of it all, we are meant to be different in our own ways but always equal in nature.

However, in this current society feminism is being linked to things that I do not believe it has any business being linked to. The formal definition of feminism is "the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men". Nowhere in that definition does it state that being a feminist means you believe in abortion. Nowhere in that definition does it state that if I wish to be a feminist I must be pro-choice. Nowhere in that definition does it state that being a feminist means I should run around the streets naked and topless to prove my freedom. Nowhere in that definition does it condone what some modern-day feminists are doing.

I can be both, a feminist and pro-life and here's why: I am a feminist because it makes my blood boil to think that I may make less than males who do the same exact job as I do, simply because I am a woman. I am a feminist because it absolutely drives me crazy to think about women in other countries who are being shot and killed for wanting an education. I am a feminist because frankly, why in the world would I not be? But I also believe abortion is nowhere near synonymous with women's rights. Now is when people will contradict me and say "women's rights are human rights!" And that is completely true, yes, women's rights are human rights but here's the thing: Since when do human rights include getting to pick and choose someone else's fate? Since when do human rights include deciding who does and does not get to have life because you may or may not "feel like" having a baby.

It's simple, I can in fact be a feminist who is pro-life because the two issues should never have been linked together in the first place. Being a feminist means you are rooting for women and you hope to see a world where women are completely equal to all men, not that you are OK with abortions. "Abortion is profoundly anti-women. Three quarters of it's victims are women: half the babies and all the mothers," -Mother Teresa.The two topics of abortion and feminism should never have been combined as they truly have nothing to do with one another. Yes, pregnancy is a women's right because of course, pregnancy can only happen within a woman. But once the sperm meets the egg, a new life has begun and nobody should be allowed to determine the outcome of that life, not even the mother or father of that baby. After all, aren't we glad that our parents did not decide to have us medically removed from our mother's wombs? You and I got a chance at life, why shouldn't every baby?

*Also because the media may not share this information, the March For Life is Friday, January 27th 2017 in Washington D.C. and you can find out more information here*.

*If you or someone you know is pregnant and is considering an abortion please call this number 1-800-366-7773 for Pro-Life Across America to get the help you and your baby deserve*.