Dear Future President,

There is a big controversy over the topic of abortion. Personally, I lean more towards pro-choice. Abortion is not murder, it’s a choice that should be available for any woman in this country who may want it. What a woman wants to do to her body should be her choice, and her choice alone. There can be multiple reasons for an abortion to be considered. It could be that the woman was sexually assaulted, she may be in a violent relationship, has mental health issues, isn’t financially ready, or her health could be at risk.

There are many pro-life supporters who can come up with just as much, if not more, counterarguments to a woman’s reasoning for wanting an abortion. They’ll claim that the fetus will be able to feel the pain of the procedure, but fetuses don’t begin to feel pain until about 20 weeks, which is well past the usual time a woman would have an abortion. Some might also say that the mother can put her baby up for adoption, but what they also don’t realize is that a having baby takes a lot out of the woman. It’s expensive to go to the doctor every month, especially if that woman doesn’t have health insurance. It’s emotional watching her body changing rapidly to adjust to a baby growing inside of her. It can be even harder if she doesn’t have any form of help or support with her, but criticism about her options. Pregnancy can even lead to depression, which could possibly lead to an unsafe situation for the mother and/or the baby.

About five years ago, a close family friend was expecting twins. She was excited to welcome the two little blessings, along with the rest of her family. At one of her doctor appointments, she was told that there was something wrong and that it would be dangerous for her to go full term and deliver the babies. She was told that terminating her pregnancy was the best way to go. Though her beliefs were against abortion, she knew that she needed to live so that she could continue to raise her four other kids, so she went ahead and listened to her doctor. She doesn't like to talk about her last pregnancy, due to majority of her family being angry with her actions, but she thanks God everyday for the healthy children she does have and for her life.

I would hope that as the next president of the United States, you would see how important it is for a woman to have just the option of abortion and do not take it away from them. Taking away funds from organizations such as Planned Parenthood can lead to so much preventable damage. I also ask that you consider having less conservative Supreme Court justices. We need justices who understand the importance of women's rights and won't do anything to abolish abortion, but instead protect it.

Sincerely,

Vanessa