Dear Next President,

The definition of abortion is “the intentional termination of a pregnancy before the fetus can live independently.” While in this day in age abortion is our primary method of birth control, and the annual number increases by 1500%, it’s safe to say the view on abortion wasn’t always how it is in 2016. Since 1973, (when abortion was first legalized in the United States) over 39 million legal and documented abortions have taken place. More than the death count of every war the U.S. has been in. Approximately 1.4 million abortions occur in the United States annually, terminating half of the 3 million unplanned pregnancies each year, and one fifth of all pregnancies. It is considered safest to terminate the baby within the first 6-10 weeks. But, the results of genetic testing are often not available until 16 weeks.

Ex abortionist Bernard Nathanson talked about how him and the other members made abortion legal. Many of which were false accusations. From fictional polls, to vilifying the catholic church for their stance against abortion. All of which are tactics to procure new thoughts on the topic of abortion. Simply because majority of people, don’t take pride in being a minority thinker on a specific view. So with the new budding pro choice advocates, went what once was an abundance of stagnant pro lifers. While the information on the Catholic church’s opinion on abortion is true, they are hardly to be stereotyped as “pro-lifers”. For example Buddhists believe life starts at the time of conception. The Buddha taught that abortion is “taking a beings life which is a grave misdeed.” Buddha also states that “Abortion is a desire to end suffering. Women don’t wish for abortions like they do for clothes or diamond rings. Rather like a dog wishing to gnaw his own leg off to escape a cage.” The Hindus condemned abortion unless the mother or child was in grave danger. This is what we would call a “non-elective” abortion. Hindus believed the soul is already joined at the moment of conception. They believe that killing either baby or mother when either have a chance of survival equated to the worst crime possible. Some of the most obvious pro lifers based solely on religious views include, Jews, Muslims, and more known for, Catholics. Nat Hentoff; an atheist civil libertarian wrote “Being without theology isn’t the slightest hindrance to being pro-life.” Atheist professor Don Marqluis declared “abortion is immoral because it denies the developing fetus.”

So why do we affiliate pro life as being Christianity based more times than not when 29% of atheists and 59% of the adult population identify as pro-life? The movement is constantly growing every day. Many people feel closeted, afraid of being captured into the common stereotype that is for being pro-life, while others are just completely uninformed. Which i believe to the the main cause of most people identifying as pro-choice. The solution to our problems can be easily solved if we work together to come up with better options for women, so that abortion doesn’t even have to be or would ever want to be an option for any woman!

And I firmly believe It’s times like these when hope, unity, and equality are needed most in this country, for if we are talking about two humans who should be entitled to their own bodily rights, in the unique situation that is pregnancy, we aren't justified in allowing the amount of right-makes simply because we can. Bigger and stronger humans don’t necessarily trump smaller and less capable ones, then this can easily be used as a tool of tyranny.

Unfortunately, science doesn't define person-hood, it never could. Science can’t tell us whether it’s wrong to rape women, torture children, enslave black people, or which physical traits should or should not matter. Science may be able to measure suffering, but it cannot tell us whether or not that suffering should matter. However, science can tell who among us belongs to the human species. The original embryonic blastocyst may be a conglomerate of 64-200 cells that is only 5 days old, but all of us began our journey and important careers in that form. Every needful encoding for life is already present in the inchoate.

Statements like, “but embryo’s can’t possibly be our equals! They’re not fully developed yet! They haven’t even been made self aware or sentient! They cannot survive on their own!” Of course this is true. But why isn’t an unborn fetus self aware? (depending what stage.) If science determines a fetus as a biological member of our species is it as wrong is denying them person-hood? If self awareness is the dividing point, anyone unconscious or in a coma may not be considered a person, while those in a heightened state of mind due to drugs would be more deserving of their life. If we determine that dividing line to be the ability to suffer, (which either way you look at it at a fairly young state fetuses are capable of feeling pain therefore are able to suffer) then any person born with congenital insensitivity is undeserving of their life. If higher brain function or a greater degree of health is dividing line than anyone with a higher IQ or a greater longevity and health than you you should be free to decide that your unfortunate qualities of life strip you of your human rights, and makes your existence no longer worth continuing. Many would reply that even if the unborn are human beings deserving of human rights, is it just as much allowed that under normal circumstances women are denied of their bodily rights? Likewise under normal circumstances no one should be killed for being too young and helpless to defend themselves. Unfortunately pregnancy is not a normal circumstance which therefore has to be accommodated for. What when both a woman and her developing fetus are regarded as human beings all deserving of human rights? Either way you cut it, their “rights” are going to clash. A start for unity without conflict in this already conflicted country and world as a whole? Treating both parties as if they were equal human beings. If an unrelated infant was abandoned at your doorstep with no one else to take care of it for a certain period of time would you not be morally obligated to at least care for the being until someone else was able to take over? Even if it was taxing on your body but not life threateningly so? In an attempt to not make this look like an anti feminist viewpoint let’s try to address real and effective ways to handle this epidemic. Why not come up with real solutions for women? Like better birth control, better maternity leave and subsidized daycare, a better living wage and more flexible work hours, better schooling options, and even more attractive open adoption and temporary foster care facilities.

The world is a rapidly changing place, and though abortion is still a hot topic in today’s society it is an irrefutable fact that abortion is an intense medical procedure. And like any medical procedure has the ability to go wrong, especially in further trimesters. Not only do i wish to address the immorality and dangerous aspects of abortion and why it should be illegal once more. I also wish to address the concern that many people are not given all of the true facts on abortion or correctly (if even at all) educated on the heavy topic. Especially at young ages when children are highly impressionable (as this goes for both sides pro choice and pro life) being taught or impressed one way can often times determine what that child will believe for life if not given further information. I not only want abortion to eventually be made illegal once more, but for our youth to be well educated on the topic of abortion starting in at least the start of junior high. Children were taught the dangers of sex, STD's, and other sexually transmitted diseases. But what about the “sexually transmitted issue” that is abortion? Children deserve the right to learn the truth behind these topics so they aren’t brainwashed into believing any certain thing, but rather can make the decision themselves, no matter what age that may be.

We have just as much of an obligation to protect the unborn from choices of other human beings and to ensure the violence against them is no longer legal and condoned as we do anyone, or anything else.