Dear Future President,

Although I will not have the opportunity to participate in this year’s election, I have however followed the debates and candidates throughout the process. Therefore, I have followed with issues you both have felt very differently about. Some of them are ones that have not really affected me, or “hit me” you could say. However, I have chosen to write about on specific topic that I feel very strongly about, and that affects the life of others everyday.

I am fully aware that you are, I’m sure, much more educated about any topic that I could bring up with you than I am. However, I still feel that my opinions are just as good as any.

Throughout the United States, there is a mixture of both people who are pro-choice and pro-life when it comes to abortion, and then there are people who are alittle of both. Maybe they think it is okay in some cases and not in others.

I know that no innocent baby deserves to have their life taken away from them. Unfortunately, not everyone sees things the way I do. The National Abortion Federation states that “A woman and her doctor are in the best position to make treatment decisions together based on individual patient circumstances, without interference from politicians. Our members provide responsive care and information that reflects the needs of each individual patient.” This means that no one should be able to step in and make it illegal for a women and/or her doctor to makes important decisions in regards to the health of her or her baby, which is something that some find completely understandable in cases where a women and/or her baby could die in the process of childbirth. This is very important because it is illegal up until 24 weeks in most states to have an abortion performed. That is nearly 6 months into the pregnancy, which is commonly known as the second trimester. It is stated by AboutNews that “for various reasons, the personhood of a fetus is generally understood to commence between 22 and 24 weeks.” and by WebMD that “If born prematurely, your baby may survive after the 23rd week of pregnancy with intensive care.” meaning that an abortion is legal at this point, but the baby is capable of living if to be born at that time. It is also stated that “toes are well-defined” now and there “eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails, and hair are formed, and teeth and bones are becoming denser.” during this stage. Along with the fact that “your baby can even suck his or her thumb, yawn, stretch, and make faces.” And their digestive system has begun to work. So, regardless of what you feel or your doctor has to say, that doesn't change the fact that your baby is a person with all these qualities, capable of performing actions already.

This can bring up the issue on when a fetus is actually considered a living person. Some believe it is a person from the moment it is conceived and others not until the time the umbilical cord is cut and it takes its first breathe alone. The people from AboutNews say that an “abortion can only be homicide if a fetus is known to be a person, and fetuses are not known to be persons until the point of viability.” So basically a fetus is not an actual person until the mother has given birth to it, and until that moment there should be no reason an abortion shouldn't be legal. An argument I would like to introduce to you would be, if a pregnant woman was to be killed or murdered, the person found at fault would be charged with two cases of homicide. One for the mother and one for the unborn baby she was carrying in her stomach. How is that any different than an abortion? Say a pregnant woman was in a car accident and died, the person who was driving could face two accounts of manslaughter, regardless of if it was an accident or not. But a woman can make the decision to end the life of her very own baby and it be okay? Actually completely legal and accepted? That seems to me as a flaw in the system and something that seems nowhere near okay. If the person who killed the mother will be charged with manslaughter for her unborn baby, there is no reason the mother shouldn’t be charged for manslaughter due to her choice of termination of her baby as well. As a matter of fact, the Students For Life state that there is a form of abortion called Hysterotomy that is “Used in the last three months of pregnancy. The womb is entered by a surgical incision in the abdominal wall, similar to a Caesarean section. However, the abdominal cord is usually cut while the baby is still in the womb, cutting off the oxygen supply and causing suffocation. Sometimes, though, the baby is delivered alive and left unattended to die.” Abortion is legal but only up to six months, so an illegal abortion is done to literally leave an innocent and helpless baby to die, and I don’t feel that is something anyone can honestly say is okay.

Lastly, I feel a big problem in the U.S. today is teenage pregnancies. I feel that if a woman feels she is mature enough to have sex, protected or not, that she should be prepared to take on any consequence that could result from that. Now, that is not to say anything at all bad about anyone who has had a baby young, but not everyone handles things the way that they should be handled. It is stated by the National Abortion Federation that “Parental consent and notification requirements do not encourage healthy family communication, but frequently compromise young people’s health and safety.” I feel that this implies that the child is underaged and that the parents do not approve of the action and decisions they have felt they're mature enough to do and make. If parents do not approve this leads to sneaky kids who go behind there backs to get it done, sometimes without the parents even knowing about the pregnancy in the first place. Also states by the National Abortion Federation is that this leads to an “increase in teens traveling outside their home state to obtain their abortion care in states that do not have such laws or have less restrictive ones.” This means kids are putting themselves in danger by again going behind their parents backs because of the choices they’ve made and are trying to keep a secret.

In conclusion, Students For Life say that “Nearly 1 in 4 (22%) of pregnancies end in abortion.” That means that, out of the estimated 211 million pregnancies in the U.S. a year a fourth of them are terminated by abortion. They also say that there are about “1.1 million U.S. abortions each year.” That is 1.1 million lives ended every year. 1.1 million babies who will never experience love and affection or the touch of another human. 1.1 million babies who will never say their first words or take their first steps. 1.1 million babies who will never get to experience acceptance of others. They’ll never grow up to be anything, because they weren’t given the opportunity to.

So, Mr./Mrs. President, I leave my thoughts and opinions here with you. I hope the things I have stated have sparked a little light in you head to maybe do some more of your own research. I hope you take care of our country and all the littles lives, because they have and always will matter too.

Carsyn