I’ve never been pregnant and don’t see kids in my imminent future, but I might choose to change that when I have the money and time to devote to them. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always unfold as we wish, so the power of choice is imperative.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1973, on the case of Roe v. Wade, to declare abortion, as per the Constitution, a “fundamental right” that encompasses a “woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” If you aren’t the woman faced with the decision, you don’t get to tell us what to do concerning our bodies.

Giving women control over their bodies is empowering. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor stated that “(t)he ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.”

Data shows that in 1972 there were 39 maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion methods, including coat hangers or ‘back-alley’ abortions. In 1976, following the legalization of abortion, the number of deaths was two. In further proof, “(a)bortion is one of the safest medical procedures performed in the United States” and lack lasting health issues, including cancer and infertility.

In a 2012 Obstetrics and Gynecology study, the risk of a woman dying from an abortion was found to be “0.6 in 100,000, while the risk of dying from giving birth is around 14 times higher (8.8 in 100,000).”

Abortions offer pregnant women the decision not to give birth to a fetus with severe abnormalities, including those in which death is guaranteed, such as when the fetus’ brain is missing.

Moreover, a University of California at San Francisco study has proven that “women who are denied abortions are more likely to become unemployed, to be on public welfare, to be below the poverty line and to become victims of domestic violence.” Should we condemn women to such circumstances?

We are also not considering that some people just shouldn’t have babies—at least not until they are ready. I’m mainly talking about teenagers, but we can allow anyone who has made mistakes resulting in an unwanted pregnancy.

The Colorado Department of Public Health found unplanned pregnancies are associated with birth defects, maternal depression, an increased risk of child abuse and a high risk of physical violence during pregnancy. These are staggering possibilities considering 49 percent of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended.

And what if pregnancy is the result of sexual violence? Are we going to force upon a woman further trauma by not allowing her the choice of what happens to her body after it was already violated?

For the insulting concession of allowing abortion ‘only under certain circumstances,’ do you know how complicated, logistically and legally, this would be?

If the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest, a woman would have to prove this was the case.

Only 40 percent of all sexual assaults are reported; if a woman cannot or does not go to the police, how is she to prove she ‘qualifies?’

Abortion isn’t murder. Personhood does not begin until after a fetus becomes viable or after birth. Abortion is therefore not the killing of a baby, but the termination of a pregnancy—there is a difference.

The fetus also can’t feel pain during the procedure, as proven by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, despite what pro-lifers may argue.

Regardless of political and religious propaganda and propagation, the issue of female reproductive rights, including abortion, is a matter that should remain a choice made by the women faced with the issue.