Dear Future President of the United States,

The country is almost divided and we need your help. The Supreme Court case, Roe vs. Wade, has led to split views on abortion and whether it should be legal or not. Pro-choice advocates argue that the fetus is not yet fully developed and is only a blob of cells with no functioning brain or internal organs. Also, they believe that women should decide what they can and can’t do with their bodies, not the government. Pro-life supporters argue that as soon as the egg is conceived, it is officially a living organism. They also argue that since the woman got pregnant, they should either give birth and put the child up for adoption or keep their child: abortion is never an option. Pro-choice is the right choice for our country and women in the U.S.

According to the Gallup poll, “50% of Americans now identify as pro-choice, while 44% identify as pro-life, and the other 6% gave no preference”. They also conducted a poll that delved into people’s opinions beyond just pro-choice vs pro-life: Gallup asked specifically about the legality of abortion and resulted in “42% believing abortion should be legal in any or most circumstances, 36% said it should be legal in very few circumstances, and 19% said it should be illegal in all circumstances”. I am arguing for for pro-choice because I believe that women should have the right to control their bodies and that abortion is a safe way to terminate a pregnancy if need be. Abortion should be legal and be a readily available option for pregnant women. The government should not have the right to tell a woman what she can and can’t do with her body.

Studies show that Democrats are twice as likely to be pro-choice than Republicans which is shown by each candidate’s campaign. The Republican Party is more often than not pro-life, which is partially tied to religious reasoning. A Gallup poll shows that “from 2008 to June 2014, “very religious” Americans have negative net value for the Democratic Party”, which means they identify or lean toward the Republican Party. The ““nonreligious” Americans highly supported the Democratic Party with a net value ranging between +38 and +19” over that period. Although abortion laws can’t be affected by religious affiliations because of separation of church and state, candidate’s religious views are still expressed in their campaign.

Abortion is a safe way to terminate an unwanted and/or life-threatening pregnancy. It does not hurt the unborn child. A leading group that opposes abortion told the USA Today that “abortion is necessary to prevent the death of the mother”. If it is known to the doctor that if the mother gave birth to her child and it could possibly harm and/or result in the mother’s death but abortion was illegal, would they allow the mother to die? Abortions should be an option in case of situations like those. It happens often so taking away that option could result in the end of a living human’s life. The CDC estimates that “92% of all legal abortions occur within the first 13 weeks, 66% of those occurring within the first 8 weeks of gestation, and only 1.2% occurring at or after 21 weeks which are usually related back to unsafe medical issues that could harm the woman carrying the fetus”. Pro-life supporters argue that abortions commonly happen all the way up until a week before the childbirth which is false because the statistic in the previous statement explains that only .013 of abortions occur after 21 weeks and is usually because of unsafe medical issues.

NARAL is a pro-choice website that helps tell the world about the importance of abortion and allows women who have experienced their own to tell their stories. Alicia’s story perfectly captures why abortion should be an option for pregnant women. She was 35 and nineteen weeks pregnant when she found out her child has very severe spina bifida. There was a possibility her child wouldn’t make it through childbirth or could have to live with a severe spine disability and never be able to walk. She and her husband made the choice to have an abortion because it was what they felt was in the best of the child and themselves. She tells us how she was screamed at by protesters outside of the abortion clinic but her husband’s love and support helped her through all the negativity she was getting from people who didn’t know her story. Alicia’s story is the reason why I will always be pro-choice and why I believe that you, as the next President of our United States, should keep abortion legal which allows clinics to remain open and readily available for women in need. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on abortion but I’m asking you, Mr./Mrs. President, please help unite us in understanding that this is a personal choice.

Sincerely,

Morgan Biggs

Works Cited

America, NARAL Pro-Choice. "Alicia, 35." :: NARAL Pro-Choice America. Alicia, 1 Jan. 2016. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

Painter, Kim. "Doctors Say Abortions Do Sometimes save Women's Lives."USA Today. Gannett, 22 Oct. 2012. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

Velencia, Janie. "Percentage Of Pro-Choice Americans Is Highest Since 2008."The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 May 2015. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.