Opinions. They’re like arseholes; everybody’s got one.

Talking of arseholes and opinions lets discuss Donald Trump. With the U.S. election drawing ever closer there’s barely a day that passes where presidential hopeful Mr Trump isn’t either trending on Twitter or dominating news headlines the world over.

Controversial character isn’t he Trump. Some love him, many seem to loathe him. I watched a documentary on Channel 4 recently regarding Donald Trump and his astonishing popularity stateside. It made for sobering viewing; namely because it made me realize how lucky I am to not be a US citizen. The thought of Donald Trump becoming effectively the world’s most powerful man is nothing short of terrifying.

You see, if Donald Trump were to be POTUS and I were to be a citizen of the country he presides, there’s a strong chance I would currently be languishing in prison.

Why? You may ask. What on Earth have you done?

No, I haven’t stolen anything. Nor have I attacked anyone or in my opinion committed any sort of crime.

However, I am a woman who has had an abortion. Yes, you read that right, I made the decision to have an abortion, a decision, that if Donald Trump had his way I would be held accountable for by way of prosecution which would likely lead to imprisonment.

No, you haven’t just stepped into a time machine and woken up in 1965. This is 2016 and there really are people, seemingly powerful people who want women to be punished for autonomy over their bodies.

Trump can say it was a hypothetical question to which he provided a hypothetical answer. He can say whatever he wants to be honest, however, it’s out there now. His disgustingly prehistoric and damaging views are spoken. They’ve had their effect.

Hopefully, they’ve had a negative impact on his presidential campaign. Surely no one would want to vote in a man who would like to see the likes of myself and many other hundreds of thousands of women sent to prison for terminating a pregnancy?

Let’s hope not, eh?

The problem is you see, it’s not just Trump who has these barbaric and terrifying opinions. It’s not just a bigoted, ignorant man who could never know what it’s like to experience the physical and emotional trauma of an abortion.

Let’s leave the USA there for now and head west to Northern Ireland.

It was with deep anger and frustration I read the plight of a 21 year old Northern Irish girl recently. Tears filled my eyes and anger poured through my veins. Allow me to give you a brief synopsis by way of background.

The woman in question found herself pregnant and unable to afford to travel to the UK to have a termination of pregnancy. Unlike the rest of the UK, in NI you can only obtain a termination if a woman’s life is at risk or if there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health. Worrying in itself you may concur.

The then-19 year old girl purchased drugs online that she would administer herself to end the pregnancy. This very situation disgusts me more than you can ever imagine. No woman should have to resort to such measures. Thinking about what she must have gone through during this time upsets me in ways I can never articulate.

If such a plight wasn’t traumatic enough, she went on to miscarry the foetus, which was then found along with bloodied items in the bin of a house she shared with her housemates.

These housemates purportedly appalled by her blasé nature (!) reported her to the police.

On Monday of this week, she was handed a 3 month prison sentence, to be suspended for 2 years. She now has a criminal record.

Some have called this punishment too lenient. I say that every single person involved in bringing this woman to court should be wholly ashamed of themselves.

Why are disgustingly draconian laws still in place in the Modern world?

Where was the support for this woman in her hour of need?

What has it come to, when a 19 year old girl is being punished for making what was undoubtedly one of the hardest decisions of her life? A decision that was HERS to make.

How are the politicians of Britain allowing this to take place?

I thank my lucky stars I reside in a place where my body is MY body. Where my decisions are not up for discussion or arbitrated in a Court of Law.

I can only wish the girl I have written about today had been afforded the same.