In 1991, when President Bush announced that the United States would join its allies and go to war against Iraq, he choked back his emotions and called war "a necessary evil."

"What a hypocrite," I thought to myself. Just one week before, this same man, telephoned a group of anti-abortion rights demonstrators protesting outside the White House, and told them to keep up the good work. He called to support their efforts toward protecting the "rights of the unborn." Bush upheld himself as a religious, moral, man who supported the right to life, but in the same breath he could justify sending thousands of young people into an unknown world of possible death and destruction, based on necessity. If war can be justified as necessary, why can't abortion?

The first time I ever gave abortion serious thought, was in my early twenties. I was flipping through the Sunday edition of the New York Times when I saw a full page ad that simply showed a picture of a wire hanger. It was an ad posted by Planned Parenthood and the message was very clear, it didn't need an explanation. I had never personally had to face the issue of abortion, so I was surprised at what a huge impact this image had on me. I realized that I had always taken my rights for granted. I never thought they could be taken away from me. I thought that the right to abortion was granted via the evolution of thought and understanding -- like desegregation or the right to vote. I thought deconstruction of antiquated values automatically gave me this particular right.

To this day I can't believe that this right is even questioned. As far as I'm concerned, in this country, it shouldn't be an issue at all. Abortion rights are still being debated in Congress, in the Supreme Court, and at American dinner tables. We still debate the origins of life, the methods of terminating a pregnancy, the right to privacy, and the ability of a woman to make her own decisions. I don't get it. I don't care about the definition of life's origins. As far as I'm concerned, the fetus is alive, and abortion kills the fetus. It is a terribly sad thing to do, but sometimes it is necessary. I don't believe that a fetus has rights just because it is potentially a human being. As long as that fetus is inside of, and living off of, its host, it cannot be an individual with rights. As long as the fetus is in the womb, it is a part of someone's body, and everyone has a right, at the very least, to control their own body. Just because a woman can create life, doesn't mean she should, or that she must. Her primary responsibility is to herself: to not get pregnant in the first place or to terminate her pregnancy if she feels she is not ready, or able, to create a person.

I think abortion should be accessible to all women, whether life begins at birth, conception, or as a mere idea. I think RU-486 should be available to women on demand, in the same way other medicines and medical procedures are available if they are needed. Abortion is a medical decision and every person has the right to privacy when making medical decisions. There are so many politicians across America who insist on keeping the government out of health care, so what right do they have to insist on invading a woman's right to medical care. It also infuriates me that many states demand that a woman be counseled before she is allowed to make her decision. Some states require that she go home and think it over for 24 hours, as though she hasn't put her heart and soul into the very act of walking into that clinic in the first place. Of course, if a woman appears to be terribly upset, and indecisive, any professional should suggest that she seek counseling before making such a painful decision.

If I lived, as a woman, in a totalitarian nation, and my government told me that I could not have an abortion, my choices would be to fight it, live with it, or find a back-alley butcher. If I were a devoutly religious woman and my religion told me that abortion is a sin and I would go to hell if I committed such a sin, I guess I wouldn't have an abortion. If I believed that there were better alternatives to abortion, I would make another decision for myself. If I lived in China and I got pregnant with my second child, my government would demand I have an abortion. In that case, I would either sneak out of the country, have the abortion, or go to jail. The wonderful thing about living in a country that gives us rights just because we are human, is that we can all make our own choices based on our individual desires, religions, standards of morality, and necessities.

The irony of my argument is that, although I feel passionately about my rights, I personally would not have an abortion. I can't say that I would have felt that way at 18, but I do feel that way now. For me it wouldn't feel right. I don't think I could live with myself. I've witnessed what women go through when they choose abortion and I don't wish that kind of grief, pain, or guilt on anyone. I cherish my right to make my own decisions, and I challenge anyone to tell me what is right, moral, or even necessary. An unwanted pregnancy is a tragedy no matter how you look at it, but an even bigger tragedy is an unwanted child.