On January 21st, 2017, millions of women around the world marched in the name of basic human rights and equality for all. On January 23rd, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting the U.S. from providing funding and assistance to international programs that have any connection to offering abortions.

The media and political circuit have been buzzing with women's rights, pro-life versus pro-choice arguments, Planned Parenthood and its funding, etc. What is abundantly clear amidst these arguments and the swirling tension surrounding bodily autonomy and women's reproductive rights is that we still live in a society that apparently believes these topics are actually up for discussion.

Well, let me tell you a story: on December 2nd, 2016, I terminated a pregnancy.

I have always wanted to be a mother. I've been naming my imaginary future children and planning my family since I was a little girl, but when I realized I was pregnant in November of last year, I knew almost immediately that I would have an abortion.

It was one of the most simultaneously easy and difficult decisions I have ever made. Difficult because life handed me everything I've always wanted in the worst way and at the most impossible time imaginable; easy because I knew in my heart that even if I did my absolute best, there was no way I could raise a child at this stage in life and under these circumstances to the standard it deserved.

So I went to a pre-screening and met with a counselor at my local Planned Parenthood. We discussed my options at length. I was poked and prodded and given an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy. The PA asked if I wanted a picture of the ultrasound and something within me did. And you know what that ultrasound showed? At 6 weeks, my pregnancy was a 4 millimeter cluster of cells. In fact, my pregnancy was so small, I had to undergo two trans-vaginal ultrasounds before they were able to locate it.

For some politicians and pro-life supporters, 6 weeks is the point at which abortion should no longer be considered an option. I didn't even know I was pregnant until I was almost 6 weeks along. My period was only a week late when it dawned on me that I might be pregnant and it took me taking two pregnancy tests before I was even convinced of the outcome.

What I want to make clear is that mistakes happen. I've been having sex and using birth control and contraceptive methods since I was 17. Yes, the responsibility for the situation absolutely falls on my shoulders and the shoulders of the man who concieved the child with me. I had one lapse in judgement one time and it had the potential to change my life forever and that is a lesson I will carry with me for the rest of my life, but that doesn't mean I deserve to be vilified or labeled as a "murderer" or less of a woman for making the decision that I did. I know I will be an excellent mother someday and I would have been an excellent mother now had I needed to be, but the fact of the matter is that I had a choice and it was my right as a human being to exercise that choice.

And speaking of choices, the father had a choice as well. He chose to deny any and all involvement in my pregnancy. He certainly wasn't there holding my hand when I walked into the clinic for my procedure while three protesters stood outside with their signs. He was able to walk off completely unscathed. Why then, should I as the mother, be forced to move forward with a situation I wasn't ready for? It is the worst double standard to allow a father to walk away from a pregnancy, but vilify a woman for exercising her human right to bodily autonomy.

I am more fortunate than most. I am a graduate student with her own apartment and two good jobs and I am extremely fortunate to find myself in these circumstances, but that does not mean that I am ready to be a mother. I found myself in a situation that I was not prepared for with another person who refused to accept responsibility for their part in it and I was forced to do what was best for myself and what I believe was best for the "potential life" inside of me. And that was to spare myself and that embryo from a life of hardship.

And do not think for a second that my decision did not and does not still weigh heavily on my mind. I do not at all regret the choice that I made, but of course it wasn't a decision made lightly. The fact of the matter is the choice I made is nobody's business but my own. And until you find yourself faced with the impossible situation of whether or not to terminate a pregnancy, do not dare counsel me on the "right" thing to do. There are so many factors that play into a situation like this and it is not up to the government or anyone else to dictate what a person does with their body.

The problem is that abortion is a multi-faceted issue that the majority of us try to turn black and white. Most pro-life activists are only concerned with a woman carrying her child to term. They aren't there to readily provide the life-long assistance she may require should that child be born into poverty. They aren't offering care and recovery for the child born to the mother addicted to drugs. They aren't offering solace to the woman stuck in abusive relationship. They won't counsel the woman who was left high and dry by the deadbeat father who couldn't be bothered to stick around.

I was raised to respect others and their beliefs. I am by no means putting down those who support a pro-life stance on the topic of abortion. I respect their beliefs and the reasoning behind them. That being said, I am entitled to my beliefs as well. You don't have to agree with my decision, but that doesn't mean you can take away my right to make it.