Recently, Alabama passed a law banning abortion, causing the controversy of pro-life versus pro-choice to escalate in the media. People are angry, and rightfully so. Even conservatives are remarking that the law is too regimented.

Why? It doesn’t make an exception for rape or incest. Although Democrats and Republicans clearly have a difference of opinion, one common ground that most can agree on is that forcing a rape victim to carry and give birth to her attacker’s child is abominable. There’s a line separating political beliefs and moral standards, and this bill crosses it.

Although the escalating pro-life movement in the south is a controversial issue within itself, the debate surrounding Roe vs. Wade has been going on since the case was settled. There are two main beliefs people side with regarding abortion: pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life is against abortions, the “life” in the name being the embryo, while pro-choice people believe that what a woman does with her body should be her choice.

I’m pro-choice, and here’s why.

The woman is the one carrying a child, so why should anyone else but her have a say in how she chooses to handle her pregnancy? If you don’t agree with abortions, then don’t get one. Trying to take away someone else’s freedom to make a choice just because you don’t agree with the choice isn’t right. People should be entitled to a certain level of freedom with their decisions.

The 25 people who passed the Alabama abortion ban were a group of men. Yes, that’s right, men. They aren’t the ones getting pregnant or getting the abortion, so how come they have the right to choose whether others get them or not?

The choice to abort shouldn’t be in the hands of a 70-something male who will never have to deal with a pregnancy.

Not only that, but every situation comes along with its own set of circumstances. Maybe the person who got pregnant was a teenager who doesn’t want to become a mother at such a young age. Perhaps the woman isn’t financially stable and lacks the funds to support a child. And the worst one of all, maybe the woman was raped and becoming pregnant was completely out of her control.

An important factor pro-life people aren’t necessarily considering is what happens after the child is born: also known as the quality of their life. Every child deserves to have a roof over their head and food on their plate, yet many children aren’t so lucky. Every child is also entitled to a safe and healthy life with quality health-care. However, some Republicans don’t seem inclined to put the same emphasis on those factors.

From their actions, it appears that certain members of the government care more about a woman going through with an unwanted pregnancy than how the child is cared for after the fact. If pro-life people are bound and determined to force a children in the world, they should put the same amount of emphasis on making sure the child is taken care of.

Although these reasons are valid, the biggest issue I have with banning abortion is that it’s unconstitutional. Separation of Church and state can best be defined as “the principle that the government must maintain an attitude of neutrality towards religion”. The government shouldn’t require their subjects to follow a certain set of religious beliefs, simply because it’s what they personally believe.

The constitution also says that the government will protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In terms of the woman’s life, pregnancy comes with an array of health risks, some known and some unknown. People shouldn’t be forced to undergo or not undergo a medical procedure due to these complications.

Kids also restrict financial and personal liberty. It’s a huge responsibility and commitment to be a mother, a job that some women can’t take on.

And finally, the choice to restrict abortion prevents the pursuit of happiness. Part of pursuing happiness is the freedom to make choices and choose your own path, and by some Republican lawmakers restricting this freedom, happiness is harder to achieve.

Each and every individual is entitled to their own opinion, of course, meaning that pro-life and pro-choice people should just agree to disagree. Nobody should have to adopt a view they don’t believe, nor should another’s view be enforced on them, nor should the government control their constitutional freedom to choose.

Your body, your choice.