Dear Future President,

I wanted to address an issue that plagues societies all across the world - unsafe abortions. Following Roe v. Wade, abortion has been deemed constitutional in the United States under the 14th amendment since the 1970s. Despite the legal status of abortion, every state has the right to regulate or restrict abortions. Because different states are given a say in the legality of abortions to various degrees, many pregnant women find themselves in situations where they are not permitted to partake in fetal termination and instead go under a makeshift procedure that can be lethal. The tens of thousands of women who die after aborting an embryo can be prevented by issuing a unifying law regarding abortion regulations and banishing unsafe abortion practices.

In the United States, a couple thousand women died as a result of unsafely aborting their pregnancy prior to Roe v. Wade. (OBOS) Statistically, these numbers have drastically dwindled in the US, but the exact data cannot be sure as most women who undergo risky abortions are not accounted for. Maternal deaths still remains strong globally though, with an astonishing 70,000 out of 19 million unsafe abortions resulting in a maternal death or complication. (Grimes) Although it is not possible to regulate abortion laws in other countries, it is crucial the United States government supports the rights of all women by allowing fetal termination under every circumstance, so long as the mother consents to it, rather than allowing individual states placing restrictions.

Furthermore, licensed and safe medical procedures are directly linked to the legal state of abortions. Implementing laws that defy induced abortions is not going to automatically persuade women against abortions. Instead, they are just going to conduct abortions that may pose dangers to their own body. Therefore, completely legalizing abortions is the first step in preventing potential health hazards on mothers, as witnessed by 91% of abortion deaths being reduced in response to liberal South African abortion laws. (IPPF) Once the nation legalizes abortion in all conditions, health facilities can safely conduct abortions and assure mothers are given post-abortion care, something that cannot be properly endorsed in countries where abortion is not yet recognized.

I understand it is a lot to legalize abortion under all circumstances and enforce it in all 50 states, especially since it will be met with political, religious, and moral debates. Legalizing abortion completely is a necessary method of compromise because those who do not support abortion essentially cannot be hurt by a law with no direct correlation to themselves and those who support it or need to abort their own pregnancy will not harm their bodies by undergoing unsafe and illicit abortion procedures. Disregarding abortion will be flouting the United States’ Constitution; a document that is meant to promote strong national unity; individual states’ rights should be limited as their laws may be deemed as unjust by other states and unfair to citizens. Therefore, instead of allowing states the right to regulate abortion laws, I urge that you propose abortion be legal as a whole to ensure women are not unsafely harming themselves when terminating a pregnancy.

Sincerely,

 T.

November 2, 2016