Dear future President,

My name is Naomi and I am a senior in an all girls high school in upstate New York. My mother used to volunteer at Planned Parenthood as a sex ed teacher. She got pregnant with her boyfriend when she was 20 years old and she had an abortion. She got accepted into Columbia Law School and didn't want to give that up to have a child, instead she wanted to pursue her dream of becoming an attorney. She has always been open about it with me, and she has always told me that she was very fortunate to have been able to make the choice to do so freely, and without judgment from her parents or community. Unfortunately, not all women have that right granted to them. It is my hope that as the president of our country you will ensure that our government will continue to fund Planned Parenthood and will work to reduce interference from politicians on a woman's right to have an abortion. 

In the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court case Roe Vs. Wade, it was declared that the constitutional right to privacy under the 4th amendment extends to a woman's right to make her own personal medical decisions, including the decision to have an abortion. In 1965, a survey conducted in Wisconsin showed that illegal and dangerous abortions made up one sixth of all pregnancies and childbirth related deaths. A survey conducted in 1967 found that eight in every 10 low income women in New York City who got an abortion, attempted a dangerous self-induced procedure. I hope that as our president, you will realize that discontinuing government funding for Planned Parenthood will be taking steps back in the wrong direction, because it will eliminate women's option to have legal and safe abortions.

Planned Parenthood is a non profit organization in our country for women, teens and children. 55% of all Planned Parenthood's money is funded by federal and state funding. Planned Parenthood provides reliable family planning services for women and teens, confidential pregnancy and STD testing, and medical professionals that they can confide in. Planned Parenthood is not only a safe and confidential way for a woman to get an abortion, its'a also a reliable source of health care for women teens, and children. Six in every ten women consider Planned Parenthood to be their primary source of health care for themselves and their family. So, if the government discontinues funding for Planned Parenthood, the organization will lose 55% of its money and as a result, six out of every ten women in our country will lose what they consider to be their primary source of health care. With all of that being said, I'm very aware that this is a controversial issue, but it is very important to me. I hope that you understand that and will take this into consideration during your presidency. Bottom line, continue to fund Planned Parenthood to protect the health of women and children in our country.

Sincerely,

Naomi M.