Over the past few weeks, I've written, deleted, re-written and edited this article so many times because I don't think any combination of the 26 letters of the alphabet into words--and those words into sentences--will come off the right way. I understand being pro-life. If I were blessed with a baby, I would definitely have that child and raise that child and give that child the best life possible because I am in a position to do so. However, I am pro-choice because the woman standing next to me might not be able to do those things.

The woman standing next to me could have been raped. She could have the child of someone who brutally beat her, took advantage of her, and is now in jail, inside of her. She could have to walk around uncomfortable in her own skin every single day, shuttering at the sound of a door closing, just because that’s the last thing she heard before she was thrown down and sexually assaulted, only to find out that now she is carrying her attacker’s child.

The woman standing next to me could have health issues that could cause her to die if she carried a baby inside of her -- and the baby would die too. Whose life is more important, if carrying the baby will cause two deaths? Why wouldn’t the mother’s life be important, too?

The woman standing next to me could have a mental illness that would harm the child. She could be trying to face the world, and every day is a struggle, and she could ultimately take it out on her baby because she can't figure out what's real and what's not. She could not be able to properly care for that child because she can't even care for herself.

The woman standing next to me could look like she’s in the perfect marriage but behind closed doors every night, she is beaten, and her body is used by the man everyone thinks loves her, but is really hurting her in the process. She could be putting on a brave face to the world, but not want to have the child for fear of what the man in her life could do to her. Even worse, she could fear that the man in her life could do the same things, if not worse, to that baby.

The woman standing next to me could be unable to afford to raise a child because she is 16 and listened to a boy who said he loved her, only to find out he wanted to use her. She could have $20 dollars to her name and not have a clue where to turn because her parents turned their backs, all her friends turned their backs, and she has no one to go to. They say she can go to a clinic, but that clinic offers only painful and unethical ways to get an abortion. If she can barely even pay to have an unsafe medical procedure, how do you expect her to keep the baby and pay to raise it?

You can argue a million reasons why a woman shouldn’t be allowed to get an abortion, but if you’re pro-life, please understand this: I’ll go out on a limb and say most people who are pro-choice are not for women getting pregnant and getting an abortion just because they don’t want a baby. People who are pro-choice are not killing machines or monsters who think that choosing abortion is okay just because a woman is too irresponsible or immature to have a child.

People who are pro-choice just want all women, including themselves, to have the option to get an abortion for whatever their reason may be, especially when it comes to the safety and well-being of the baby. Furthermore, a lot of pro-choice supporters believe that there should be restrictions on abortion (whether it be that the abortion has to happen in the first trimester, or that the woman has to pay for it vs tax-payers paying for it, etc.).

My point is, people who are pro-choice are not heartless killers. People who are pro-choice are not pro-abortion. People who are pro-choice are pro-life too, but they understand that different circumstances in the woman's life might not give her the ability to have the child and that it's okay to let her decide what to do.