The story grabbed my attention the moment I came across it on the BBC website. The twenty-eight-year-old Green Party candidate in the forthcoming Senedd elections spoke openly for the first time about her experience of having an abortion at the age of 15 when speaking to a group of sixth form students at a school hustings event in Cardiff.

Thankfully the issue was not discussed further during the event although some students later said they appreciated seeing a politician talking openly about such an emotive and taboo subject.

It had changed her life Tessa Marshall told the BBC. If she had not been able to have that abortion while studying for her GCSEs, she would probably now be the mother of a thirteen-year-old child.

As it was the disruption to her exams was minimal and it had put her on a path ‘to understanding the importance of human rights, bodily autonomy, and women's rights’.

It was a gripping article, but it’s worth noting that while Tessa’s story is unique she is but one of many who have made the same decision, One reputable source says there have been more than 10,880,000 abortions since the law was changed in 1967, and there appears to be an upward trend, with one Public Health Consultant estimating that in this year, one-in-three of all viable pregnancies will be ended by elective abortion.

Now I understand where Tessa Marshall is coming from, and I appreciate the fact that she believes women's rights needed to be "defended" in what she thinks is a political environment where some still wanted them "taken away". I can appreciate the pain, the distress and emotional upheaval that can precede and accompany the decision to terminate a pregnancy too. At least as much as any man can.

But as I read Tessa’s story I couldn’t help thinking that it would have been very helpful if the journalist had included a comment from someone who is pleased they didn’t opt for a termination. It would have been useful too if her positive note had been balanced by the experience of someone who regretted having a termination as well as a reflection from someone who might have been aborted but ultimately wasn’t.

I have met people like this which is why I believe the issue of ‘abortion’ is not simply about ‘women’s rights’, as important as they are.

If I ever get to meet Tessa Marshall, I will ask her what she makes of the work of the ‘Right to Life UK’ which campaigns for ‘the recognition of the rights of unborn children along with the creation of a medical system and society where there is increased practical care and support given to women facing an unplanned pregnancy’.

Tessa Marshall has the right to voice her opinion but in our democratic society others must be allowed the freedom to disagree with her too. And we all have the right to expect them to disagree agreeably.