Dear Future President of the United States,

Imagine a world where women weren’t allowed make a choice concerning their own bodies. Where women’s decisions were made for them by the government. Females all around America would go through illegal, life-threatening procedures in an attempt to exercise bodily autonomy. Your policies should include legality of abortion for the safety of the women’s health, the future of the female, and for undesired pregnancies of rape victims.

First and foremost, making abortion illegal won’t end abortion. People will go to extreme lengths to get the fetus terminated, including backstreet abortions. Most illegal terminations include the wire coat hanger method which can put the woman’s health at severe risk. “Estimates of the number of illegal abortions in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s range from 200,000 to 1.2 million per year. Prior to Roe v. Wade, as many as 5,000 American women died annually as a direct result of unsafe abortions.”(Contributors) These hazardous methods can cause women to have health issues that could ultimately end her life. These abortions are risky as there isn’t a one hundred percent chance that these terminations will be successful. The fetus could be born with many disabilities making it hard for them to lead a normal life.

Furthermore, it is inevitable that the woman’s life won’t go unaffected by the pregnancy. About five percent of pregnancies are teens from ages 15-19. Most teens, who are disowned by their families, unable to attend school regularly, and incapable of keeping or even having a job, can develop depression, anxiety, and ultimately even attempt suicide. This is not healthy for the fetus or the mother as she lacks the resources to be self-sufficient. “Only half [pregnant mothers] are employed full-time all year long, a quarter (23.2%) are jobless the entire year. Among those who were laid off or looking for work, less than a quarter (22.4%) received unemployment benefits.” (By comparison) Let’s not forget the fact that some women are working mothers who are trying to support their families even with a low income. Another child is something they can not afford. “59% of women obtaining abortions are mothers. Forty-nine percent of abortion patients in 2014 had incomes of less than 100% of the federal poverty level ($11,670 for a single adult with no children).” (Induced Abortion)

In addition, sexual violence against women is an epidemic across the world. There are many females that are kidnapped and sexually abused who make it out of their captors homes. The victims do not address the issue due to the social stigma and shame associated with their situation. “Only 11.7% of these victims received immediate medical attention after the assault, and 47.1% received no medical attention related to the rape. A total 32.4% of these victims did not discover they were pregnant until they had already entered the second trimester; 32.2% opted to keep the infant whereas 50% underwent abortion and 5.9% placed the infant for adoption; an additional 11.8% had spontaneous abortion.”(Obstetrics and Gynecology) Rape victims don’t need a daily reminder of the struggle they went through to get out of an abusive home, and sending babies to adoption agencies isn’t going to get the child a permanent and safe home.

Now imagine a world where women didn’t have to risk their lives to make a private decision about themselves. Where they had the choice to get a fetus terminated without getting arrested or judged for their decision. After all, isn’t her body her choice?

Works Cited

Contributors, Obos Abortion. "The Impact of Illegal Abortion - Our Bodies Ourselves." Our Bodies Ourselves. N.p., 23 Mar. 2014. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

"Induced Abortion in the United States." Guttmacher Institute. N.p., 12 Oct. 2016. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

By Comparison, Only 9.6% of Married Parents Had No Insurance.25, Dawn. "Single Mother Statistics - Single Mother Guide." Single Mother Guide. N.p., 17 Sept. 2016. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.

Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department Of. "Rape-related Pregnancy: Estimates and Descriptive Characteristics from a National Sample of Women." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2016.