I do not typically write about political topics, but when I do, it is because it is concerning a topic that seems to continuously wrack my brain, and I have to get my thoughts out there. This article is in no way intending to offend anyone.

It is no secret that the state of Alabama banning abortion entirely has made news in more than a few ways this past month. Everyone seems to have an opinion about it, proven by the endless posts lining all of my social media outlets, and I am sure yours as well. I feel that this topic is an extremely difficult one, one that should not necessarily be decided by the government. It is simply too personal a matter.

While I believe that abortion is a personal matter brought up only to the discretion of the mother and father of an unborn baby themselves, I state myself as torn when it comes to the abortion debate. I was raised Catholic, and I believe in God with my whole heart and soul. I believe everything happens for a reason, and that God has a plan for each and every one of our lives. The Catholic in me says that abortion is murder, and that aborting a fetus, no matter how small, is killing a human being. If God wishes for you to be a mother or father, it is His will and should be accepted.

However, when it comes to becoming pregnant after being raped, the matter becomes a slippery slope. "That never happens!" "That only happens once in a blue moon!" "That percentage of abortions is so small that it is insignificant!" It's tough. The unfortunate truth is that it does happen. And when it comes to the scared, panicking females who have been impregnated as a result of being raped, I promise you, they do not consider themselves as the insignificant minority. This is their lives we're talking about. This is their mental, physical, and emotional health we're talking about.

We have to face the harsh reality. Banning abortion completely is not necessarily going to lead to fewer aborted babies. Banning abortion is going to lead to women going about aborting their unborn babies in unsafe ways, or simply traveling to a place in which they can receive a safe, legal abortion. Where there is a will, there is a way.

I believe that instead of banning abortion completely, we as a country must work harder to educate our young people about sex. The method of forcing abstinence upon middle and high school-aged children is clearly not working. Instead of telling them to not do something of this matter, we must instead provide better information regarding how to be safe during sex and how to prevent pregnancy. Birth control should be easy to obtain. Condoms should be given out in schools. The era of denying that young people engage in sex is over. We, as the people of the great United States of America, must move forward, not backward.

All in all, I am torn regarding this matter. However, what I do know is that a woman's body is nothing but her own, and only she can decide what to do with it, based on her beliefs and personal morals.