Abortion is a very sensitive and controversial topic. Everyone has a unique opinion, based on many factors, including religion, personal experiences and political affiliation. My opinion is that, while abortion should not be simple or even comfortable, it should be an option.
 Our country has always tried to maintain a separation of church and state; there was even an attempt to remove the phrase “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. Making abortion illegal based on religious moral standards would be directly contradicting this separation. If abortion was made illegal, this lawful action could not be based on religious protocol.
 Abortions shouldn’t be casually used; however, they should be attainable since abortion should be the woman’s choice, not the governments.
While I don’t support abortion as a form of birth control, there are some situations that have extenuating circumstances, for instance, rape or incest victims, or a woman with medical instabilities. In the case of a rape or incest victim, the child might even be in danger without an abortion.
By forcing the mother to remember a horrifying rape, abuse can be provoked and, in extreme circumstances, even homicide. Even without this risk, forcing a woman to bear the burden of this crime by bearing the child is wrong. She did not choose to conceive the child, and will be financially and emotionally responsible for it.
Babies that are the product of incest are likely to have many health and mental issues, and it would be cruel and unfair to let that child go through life in that state. Another scenario that supports the need for legalized abortions is the case of the mother being unable to give birth to the baby without dying or having other very serious health problems.
“In some circumstances, when the mother’s life is in jeopardy, abortion is the only option to save her life,” Ana Thurgood, a senior, said.
 Some people say the mother should sacrifice her life for her child. But how does this help the baby? Growing up without a mother is certainly not an advantage. What about that woman’s husband? Or any other children she might already have? How do they benefit from losing a wife and mother? This is a difficult decision for a mother to make, but she should still be the one to make it, without input from the government.
“I believe women have the right to choose,” Andrea Gensinger, a Del Norte junior, said.
A lot of people do not realize that it is possible to be anti-abortion but still be pro-choice, which I am. I don’t like abortions, and I especially don’t like that some women get them casually and frequently. But, I dislike the government overstepping its boundaries even more. It is not my place, and it is certainly not the government’s place, to tell women what they can or cannot do with the contents of their wombs.
“It’s your body, your prerogative,” Jeneva Jio, a senior, said.
 If abortion were to be made illegal, we would just be one step closer to government control.