As an American, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to make my own decisions and have control of my fate. The Constitution explicitly states our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is empowering to know that we are able to stay true to our values and to lead a life the way we want it to be. Yet over the past week, an element of the freedom that our nation has worked so hard for, has been ripped away from millions.

We pride ourselves on the progressiveness of our nation and we have come so far in our climb towards equality. We have made advancements in feminism, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, and more. Despite these monumental achievements, Alabama has set us back decades with a single bill.

Alabama state governor, Kay Ivey, signed a bill on May 15 that will ban abortion, regardless of circumstances. She claims to be protecting the unborn children who are deserved of a life filled with love and attention.

Yet it is important to acknowledge the mothers who are equally deserving of the same life that he claims to protect.  A woman who is unprepared to support another human being completely will be burdened by a responsibility that she may be unable to uphold. For a teen, her pregnancy will impede on her ambitions for a career and the pursuit of a higher education. Her life can still move forward, but it will be with an unnecessary obstacle that very well may prevent her from accomplishing the goals she set for herself.

I do not deny that children deserve love and affection, a chance to grow and develop. But a child can only have these things if they are entering a home that is ready to provide a nurturing and safe environment. Will Alabama’s governor be able to care for and love every unwanted child that was born into suffering because of her decision? Not every woman is made to be a mom and not every home was meant to sustain a family. As Jacob Viveros (11) so eloquently articulates, “While I do understand the points of the anti-abortion movement, I do not believe it should be at the cost of a woman’s human right to choose what to do with her body. Women know what would be best for both themselves and their unborn child. No child should grow up in a situation where they are unwanted, unsupported, unloved, and neglected.”

Even in the cases of rape or incest, she has stolen the choice to abort. She leaves a victim powerless and left with a constant reminder of one of the most painful experiences in her life. Forcing a woman to have a child she does not want cages her in and potentially sets her child up for a life of resentment and pain.

Prohibiting abortion is taking ownership of a women’s most sacred possession, her body. It is becoming a slave to her government and being shackled to values that are not her own.

As women, we are entitled to have control of our bodies, our future, our lives. Regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexuality, the choices we make in life should be ours, and ours alone. Many students, like Jayden Hawley (11) assert the importance of, “a woman’s right to choose.” We ask for repeal to honor the liberty that defines our country and protect our natural rights.