Dear Future President,

Even after abortion became legal over 40 years ago, it remains one of the most debated issues in America.  The United States Supreme Court case, Roe vs. Wade, created more questions than answers.  Is it immoral to have an abortion?  Should women have the choice with their bodies to have an abortion?  When is abortion acceptable?  Regardless of your stance as president, my philosophy is that life is valuable, all life.  As Mother Teresa once said, "It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."

Science has proven that life begins at conception.  If you look in any medical textbook, it says that life starts at the beginning of conception.  Living beings come into existence all at once.  So, from that standpoint, having an abortion is killing or murdering a living, breathing thing.  From the moment a child is conceived, it is alive and growing inside a mother's womb.  I consider myself a feminist even at the age of 16.  I am for women's rights, but being pro-choice is a separate matter on an individual level.  According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI), about 21% of all United States pregnancies end in an abortion.  A pro-lifer would consider an abortion as taking an innocent life and smothering it due to the woman's own wants and selfishness.  However, some pro-lifers do agree that there are certain situations where it is reasonable to have an abortion such as if a woman has been raped, been a victim of incest, or learned that having the child would be detrimental to her health.

I truly feel that many people have abortions for all the wrong reasons and these reasons may be considered selfish in nature.  There are three main reasons a woman may have or want to have an abortion.  First, having a child may interfere with work, schooling or other responsibilities.  Second, a woman may be concerned over the costs of having and raising a child.  Third, a woman may not want to raise a child by herself as a single parent.  A student completed y AGI supported all these reasons by finding that 3/4 of women have an abortion because either cannot afford the child or it interferes with their work and 1/2 of women do not want to be an unwed parent.  In addition, according to the Centers for Disease Control, 90% of mothers who test their child for Down Syndrome at 10-12 weeks of pregnancy do choose to abort the child.  According to Robert J. White, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Michigan, an unborn baby at around 20 weeks into a pregnancy can feel pain.  At this time, the fetus is vulnerable and feels more intensely than adults.

In the United States, there are approximately 1.06 million abortions each year.  Since legalization in 1973, there has been over 57 million babies aborted in the United States, a number higher that the entire population of the country Spain.  That is equal to about 155 babies per hour and one baby per 24 seconds.  There are substantial risks associated with these abortions.  For instance, an abortion can be unsafe, not just for the fetus being aborted, but for the mother as well.  According to the study by the National Cancer Research Center, there is a link between cancer and having an abortion.  The risk of cancer is 50% higher than among other women who have not had an abortion.  Furthermore, according to the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, approximately 28 out of 37 worldwide studies have independently linked abortion with breast cancer.

I believe that if a person is not ready for a baby, she should take precautions during intercourse to decrease the likelihood of becoming pregnant.  However, if a woman does become pregnant, I recommend that she consider all options including adoption.  A woman should value her life and also value life in general.  By giving a baby up for adoption, the mother gives the baby the opportunity to live and to possibly meet the needs of parents who were unable to have children.  Please help me in promoting all options for women as I want all women to know their choices, to be safe in those choices and to protect the greatest gift God has give us, life.

Sincerely,

Madison Alliston