Dear Future President of the U.S.:

About 21% of U.S. pregnancies end in an abortion, which usually takes place in a Planned Parenthood Center. Some are teens; others are women who are not ready for a child. Whatever the reason, it is ultimately the mother's choice if she wants to keep the child or not. It's like they always say, "Mother knows best." If that's true, then I believe that the American government should not question a mother's decision to get rid of her unborn child. That's why there are Planned Parenthood Centers available. They exist to help with counseling, abortions and other pregnancy related issues. So far, the government funds Planned Parenthood, and I would like to make sure that remains true.

My name is Inaya and I am 13 years old, and I currently attend Harper Park Middle School in Virginia. I enjoy playing softball and spending time with my family. The reason why I would like to discuss the topic of abortion is the fact that there are girls my age in America who are pregnant and scared. I would like to write on their behalves. Let's face it, teenagers make mistakes. Some bigger than others, like getting pregnant. I feel as though they should know there is a way to fix things. If they feel unprepared to have a child and get their education at the same time, then there should be another way. As a teenage female, I would like to have Planned Parenthood as an accessible option for pregnant teens.

According to Choicespregnancy.org, there are approximately one million teenagers in America that become pregnant each year. Of those, 78% are unintended. Basically, 78% of those pregnant teenagers had no idea that they were going to be mothers that early in life. Some haven't even finished high school. How can you expect them to be ready to bring another human into the world? It would be different if they just had to take care of a hamster for a month or two, but we're talking about a human who needs to be tended to for years to come. According to Choicespregnancy.org, the unborn child is more likely to drop out of high school, experience health problems, give birth as a teenager, and face unemployment.  The mother only wants the best for the child, and the government should not be able to take that away from the mother.

What I propose is to leave the decision to keep or not to keep the child up to the mother. The government should not have a say in that. If the government really wants to do something, then it should keep allowing and funding Planned Parenthood Centers. America is all about freedom, therefore a mother should have freedom to choose what to do with her body and her child. The government can help women of all ages who are pregnant with these Planned Parenthood Centers, especially since counseling and abortions are not cheap. It also should not matter at which point the woman decides to get an abortion. It should be her choice, and she should be able to come to the decision to not have the child whenever she is comfortable. In conclusion, the government should leave the mother's decision to the mother and continue funding Planned Parenthood.

Sincerely,  

Inaya H.