Dear future president of the United States,

Think of a world where women could have abortions legally; where women can choose what is best for them and their bodies. There would be no illegal abortions where women may suffer injuries or even die. Your policies should protect the right of a woman having an abortion, particularly to eliminate backstreet abortions, to provide a situation to solve an unwanted pregnancy (due to incest or rape) and to protect the health of a mother.

If you make abortion illegal, women will find a way to get around this law. One such way is backstreet abortions, which is an illegal abortion when women get an abortion that is not from a certified doctor. During this operation, women can become injured or possibly die. ‘’Government statistics indicate that about 70,000 women have abortions annually with over 33,000 procuring unsafe methods resulting in deaths of 17 women out of every 100. (Phiri) When women have abortions, they have good reasons, but are unsure of the consequences. If abortion is legal women can seek professional help and by doing so, reduced death rates of ‘’unsafe’’ methods would occur.

Say that you did not plan your pregnancy, and you had no control over what to do with the baby. Even during difficult situations would you want an abortion illegally? ‘’ “One percent (of aborting women) reported that they were the survivors of rape’’ (abortion statistics)‘’University of California, San Francisco, estimated that rape led to as many as 25,000 pregnancies in the U.S. each year. The survey thus suggests that each year about 19,500 U.S. abortions are undertaken to end pregnancies that occurred as a result of rape or incest.’’ (Perry) If the reason for your decision was because you were a victim of rape or incest, you should have the right to have a right to choose abortion. These numbers show you how many raped pregnancies were aborted.

Women's health should be put first in the situation of an unwanted pregnancy or a life threatening condition. If an abortion will prevent women getting sick, death, or hurting of the child, then they need to be able to have an option. Say that they are doing an abortion because of their physical health. Would you try to help them? ‘’12% of women included a physical problem with their health among reasons for having an abortion.’’ (abortion statistics) This percent is saying that 12% of women who have abortions do so, so they can stay healthy. “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that pregnancy-related deaths increased from 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to 17.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2011. A Lancet study published last year put the 2013 U.S. maternal death rate even higher, at 18.5 deaths per 100,000 live births”. (Perry) When you are forced to have a baby (and not ready) things may go wrong. Having an abortion can possibly prevent these incidents from occurring. If you seek help from a professional doctor, you are more likely to stay healthy, rather than giving birth to a baby when you don't need to.

Having an abortion should always be a choice. We need to decrease these rates of unsafe methods and have an option for women's health and bad situations. I think a major help would be to make abortion legal.

Works Cited

Perry, By Susan. "Too Many U.S. Women Are Dying during Childbirth. The Problem Is Not the Paperwork." MinnPost. N.p., 6 Dec. 15. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Phiri, Charity Chimungu Phiri. "Abortion Saga: Morality vs Choice." - Global Issues. N.p., 27 Apr. 16. Web. 04 Nov. 2016

"U.S. Abortion Statistics." Facts About Abortion:. N.p., 7 July 16. Web. 04 Nov. 2016