Future President of the United States,

In my seventeen years of life, I’ve experienced so many issues around me and what the damage these problems have caused. However, nothing has concerned me more on a personal level than the nationwide debate about abortion, the right to a woman's body, or a right to the offspring.

My friend of five years was raped when she was just fourteen and this resulted in her getting pregnant. Not only was she severely traumatized, but she was also significantly stressed and suffering, not yet ready to have a child before her sophomore year of high school. It was the hardest, most difficult decision of her life, but she was able to get an abortion before it was considered “too late”. Thanks to Planned Parenthood and laws that allowed for her to get an abortion, she was able to live the rest of her high school life normally, graduating successfully and enrolling in a local college. Both her and her child would not have lived happy lives if she had continued the pregnancy and given birth. Yes, it is a tragedy that this happens in people’s day to day lives, but it must be done.

Abortion is a major issue. Should the government have a say in a woman’s personal choice to keep or get rid of her offspring or should they stay away and leave it up to the mother? If you think about it, why should the government have a say in a woman’s personal choice about her own body? It should be a right as a woman to be able to say no to having a child before a certain point within the pregnancy.

On average, women who had abortions say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities, that they cannot afford a child, or that they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner. If you think about this, these situations would only worsen the mother’s situation. Then there is the argument that it would be better for the child to be given away or put up for adoption instead of aborting it, however, this is not the case. Both common sense and evidence show that children are happiest and successful when they are wanted and loved. Unwanted children are usually at increased risk of juvenile delinquency and crimes. Adoption rate have significantly decreased over the past 20 years or so, leading to a drop in about 1-2% every year. The number of babies in America are growing and the number of children being adopted is decreasing. Those children who grow up in orphanages and group homes generally grow up to feel alienated and hostile towards society, living lives that usually lead to a life of crime or depression.

So, this is where you come in President. You can keep these women feeling safe and able to continue their lives. You can save these children from a life of depression and alienation. You can save them. Shed some light on the importance of abortion in America. Please, from all of those who need it, keep abortion legal.