I don't think I'd ever get an abortion. I am engaged to a loving man I've been with for over three and a half years. I have loving friends and family who would support me. I have a job and people around me who would be willing to help me out financially. I want to have children one day. I am in good health, mentally and physically. I have a home, access to basic necessities and would have help with the medical bills and all necessary prenatal care. If I got pregnant right now, I don't think I'd have an abortion.

I am lucky to say that because I am lucky to have everything on the list above.

But think about how that decision might change if even one of those list items wasn't there.

Let's say I have everything except a loving partner.

Is bringing a child into an abusive relationship (or a fatherless one) better than terminating the pregnancy and waiting until you feel you could have a child inside of a loving relationship?

I don't know. That's why it should be every individual woman's choice.

Let's say I have everything but supportive friends and family.

s bringing a child into the world without love and support from close friends and family a good choice, especially if those friends and family are unsupportive of you because you got pregnant?

I don't know. That's why it should be up to every individual woman.

Let's say I have everything except for money or a job.

Is going paycheck-to-paycheck to put food on the table, or working constantly and missing the big moments of your child's life better than giving it another try when you have a more stable job and income and can afford to give your child the best life possible?

I don't know. That's why it should be up to every individual woman.

Let's say I have everything but I don't want children.

Is bringing an unwanted child into the world better than choosing not to?

I don't know. That's why it should be up to every individual woman.

Let's say I have everything but I am not in good health.

Is sacrificing your mental or physical health to bring an unexpected child into the world better than waiting to be in a better place health-wise, or choosing to adopt to avoid the pain?

I don't know. That's why it should be up to every individual woman.

Bringing a child into a less-than-perfect family is not uncommon, and it isn't a bad thing. But every woman should have the right to decide whether or not she wants to do it. If you have no support, no money, no access to prenatal care, or even simply no desire to be a mother, then you should have every right to decide not to bring a baby into a world where it will not be supported (emotionally or financially), or not be wanted. Every woman should be able to decide whether or when she becomes a mother.

Additionally, adoption is a lovely choice, but without many of the items listed above, that becomes incredibly hard, too. Going through a pregnancy and giving your child away is categorized as a "traumatic life event." Not exactly the best option for those who are struggling with mental health or those who have no support system.

Also, pregnancy can be expensive. Purchasing healthier foods, having to cut back at work, buying new clothes and taking all necessary pre-natal precautions can be difficult. Adoption is an excellent solution for keeping a baby, but it isn't a solution for carrying and having the baby. Being pro-life seems to continually neglect the life of the mother.

Being "pro-life" and fighting against abortion is a hypocritical stance.

You can't say you are pro-life if you stop caring about that life once it is born. You can't shame parents who are on Food Stamps or otherwise asking for assistance in one hand and force them to bring a kid into the world in another. You are not "pro-life" you are anti-abortion. Those two are not necessarily the same thing.

If you want to outlaw abortions, you are not "pro-life."

Believing an unborn child's life is more important than the mother who carries its' life is not "pro-life." Fighting so children can be brought into the world regardless of if they'll be neglected, unloved, unwanted or unsupported is not "pro-life."

You are pro-birth and then you stop caring.

If you were truly pro-life, you'd fight for access to contraception so people don't get into the situation of an unwanted pregnancy. You'd fight for a livable minimum wage so those women who got pregnant and couldn't finish school or get a "real job" can still support the baby you forced them to have. Your voice would be heard standing up for those on Food Stamps or other government assistance.

You would admit that if the life that is being fought for can't be lived comfortably, termination might be a better option.

If you stop caring once the baby is born, you aren't pro-life.

If your voice stops being heard once the baby is born, you aren't pro-life.

If you are anti-abortion, you aren't pro-life.