From the time I was little, I was taught that life starts at conception. This is something that I still believe, and I stand by the Catholic view that abortion is wrong. It is something that I would never personally want to do. With that being said, I still think that there are many things wrong with the new laws being passed, essentially restricting abortion completely with severe punishment. Even though I don't believe in abortion, I can still understand why, in some cases, women may feel that it is the best option, whether that be due to the circumstances under which their pregnancy occurred or the lack of financial assistance provided by the government.
Thankfully, many of us cannot even begin to understand what rape victims have to go through mentally, especially in the case of an unwanted pregnancy.
These laws don't take into consideration the circumstances under which pregnancy occurs, they fail to hold any males responsible for their actions, and they severely limit the idea of freedom that this country was built upon. I am quite certain that the men proposing the near-complete ban on abortion have definitely not had to experience this trauma, and for that reason, they don't have the right to take this aspect of healthcare away.
Until this country and the people proposing these laws can agree to delegate money toward providing efficient financial support for women who cannot afford to give their child a quality life and the brokenness of the foster and adoption systems are addressed, I can't see how making abortion illegal is fair to women under these circumstances.
I have always been taught that abortion is wrong, but I have also been taught the importance of respecting the opinions and values of others, even when they may differ from my own.
Just because I personally do not agree with something, doesn't mean that others don't deserve the freedom to exercise their beliefs, and men without medical degrees or a complex understanding of the female anatomy and without shared experiences with women who have gone through significant traumas and financial burden should not be able to take away this freedom either.
If abortion is made illegal in the entire United States, people will still have abortions, just in unsafe and dangerous ways. Whether you agree with the procedure or not, this is a part of women's healthcare that should be able to be done properly, without medical professionals having to choose between endangering life by not giving care or sacrificing their licenses in exchange for jail time.
All women should have the right to make decisions about their own bodies and express what they believe in. I should be able to make the decision for myself and my baby, and while my circumstances and choice may differ from someone else's, every woman deserves a choice.
