Dear Future President,

 I am 14 years old and I live in New Orleans, Louisiana. Even though I am not old enough to vote yet, my opinion and voice still matter in this presidential election. As an American citizen, I believe there are many problems in our country, as well as several controversial topics that need to be discussed during this election.

 One of these topics is abortion. Every woman in the U.S. should have access to abortion services, regardless of their race, education, or wealth. As ruled in the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, abortion is a fundamental right for all women. Despite this, there is still limited access to abortion nationwide and extreme regulations on abortion facilities. Operation Rescue states, “Since 1991, 81% of all surgical abortion facilities in the U.S. have closed.” Also, the Guttmacher Institute states that there were only 7 abortion providers in Louisiana in 2011. These two pieces of evidence prove that there is not enough access to abortion for women. Not every woman is ready or able to have a child when they become pregnant, and they should have the choice to get help from an abortion facility. This cannot happen if abortion facilities are constantly being restricted, protested, and eventually shut down.

 Another issue with the abortion policies in our country is the unnecessary restrictions and regulations on abortion services for women. As mentioned before, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was legal. However, states can still impose so-called “trigger laws” that stand in the way of abortion. For example, the Guttmacher Institute states, “32 states and the District of Columbia prohibit the use of state funds [for abortion services] except in those cases… where the woman’s life is in danger or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.” This means that over half of the states in our nation don’t fund regular abortion services for female citizens. Another way states restrict abortion is through waiting periods. The Guttmacher Institute claims that “27 states require a woman seeking an abortion to wait a specified period of time, usually 24 hours… 14 of these states have laws that effectively require the woman make two separate trips to the clinic to obtain the procedure.” This causes women to be less likely to get an abortion due to the inconvenience and trouble they have to go through. These two laws, and several more, do nothing but deny women the access they deserve to abortion, and prevent them from getting the help and care they need.

 As the future president of the United States, I hope that you take your time in office to focus on the issues that are important to the people of our country. I also strongly urge you to remember that abortion is a right that should not be taken away from anyone, and that while there are several issues in our nation, abortion is one of the most important issues ever in history.

Sincerely,

S.C.