At 16 years old and only a sophomore in high school, I found myself staring face-to-face with a positive pregnancy test. I had to make a choice – a choice that others tried to make for me, but since ultimately I was the one who would have to live with the decision, I needed to be the one who made the choice.

Thank goodness for choice and access. Where would I be without it?! Where would many women and families be without it?! I chose to continue the pregnancy, but if I had not, then that should have been okay, too. I should not be shamed or intimidated by any decision I made or make regarding my reproductive health care, body, or choice. Especially by politicians who care more about my uterus and what I choose to do with it than about my personal situation and quality of life. Let’s flip the script for a second, shall we?!

Let’s pretend that society viewed “birth” as a bad thing and “abortion” as the expected outcome for every positive pregnancy test. What lengths would the woman who wanted a child go to in order to continue her pregnancy? What health dangers would she face by continuing her pregnancy in secrecy due to fear? If she did deliver, who would support her and where would she go to seek assistance for her and her child’s needs? Banning birth wouldn’t stop birth from happening, it would just become dangerous or even deadly. The same goes for abortions.

Restricting access or banning abortions won’t stop them from occurring, it will only make them dangerous and deadly. Is this what we want?! This is why choice is so important and why reproductive health care access, including abortion care, must be available to all who seek it. Want to make America great again? You can start by trusting women and keeping your laws off uteruses!