Dear Future President,

As a girl who has grown up in a strongly pro-choice, non religious household, I have very strong views on abortion. In this past election, the legality of abortion has been a frequent topic. Abortion must remain legal because making it illegal would be taking away a fundamental right for women: the right to choose.

Abortion has been debated for a very long time, especially since the 1973 supreme court decision to make abortion legal. Many Christians believe abortion should be illegal. I don’t think other people (whom I don’t know and whose beliefs I don’t share) should be able to determine any of my life decisions. The separation of Church and State is a fundamental principle of our nation and our constitution. If you make abortion illegal based on one particular group’s religious views, you are contradicting an important value of our country.

One could argue that abortion is murder… however most abortions are performed before the 12th week when the fetus is not even viable. Fetuses become viable at around 23 weeks, which is 11 weeks after the time an abortion would most likely performed. Very few abortions are performed after this period of 12 weeks; however, 43 states require the case to be life or death for the mother. This means that after a certain period of time, an abortion is only performed in extraordinary circumstances.

Many states have added specific requirements for getting abortions. 38 states require abortions to be performed by a licensed physician. I believe that this should be implemented in all states because this means that abortions will be safer. 18 states require abortions to be at a hospital after either 14-24 weeks gestation or after the 2nd trimester. This I believe should be changed, because plenty of licensed physicians work in doctor’s offices, and if they are done in hospitals instead of clinics, the price is considerably higher. 18 states also require a second physician to be present when performing an abortion; I think this could be helpful but certainly not necessary. Some requirements are important, and can save lives, however others are just making it more difficult for women to get an abortion.

The USA has valued the right of freedom of religion, so you can choose who or what you believe in. The Catholic Church preaches “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.” However, the Catholic Church should have absolutely no influence on the laws of this country. Neither I, nor any woman, should be forced to keep an unwanted child because the Catholic Church said so. The Catholic Church should not force a woman to bring a child into this world; you never know what kind of situation the woman could be in. She could have a life threatening health condition, be in college or even high school, or have a drug problem, but you never know the real reason why they would want an abortion. In addition, one must consider the amount of suffering a child might experience if they born to a mother who can’t or won’t take care of them. I am not saying the all Christians are against abortion- however, when compared to other beliefs, the numbers are drastically different. 20% of Christians say abortion is acceptable under any circumstance, while 22% say it’s unacceptable in any circumstance. 54% of people who practice other religions believe it’s acceptable in any circumstance while 7% feel that it’s not. 39% of people who follow no religion believe abortion should be legal all the time, and 10% believe it shouldn’t.

Abortion must remain legal because making it illegal would be taking away a fundamental right for women: the right to choose. If you plan to make progress in office, don’t try and overturn Roe v Wade, because that is just taking a giant step backwards.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Weitz