Dear Future President,

Hi, my name is Lucy. I am a resident of Royal Oak, Michigan, a junior in high school, and a citizen concerned with the rights and well- being of other citizens. I’m writing to address one of the most troubling propositions circling in the government, today: defunding planned parenthood.

Planned parenthood does so much for so many different types of people. For one, it provides sex education which helps and informs people who really need it. So many people are sheltered from sexual topics at a young age and so, when they become sexually active later in life, they are unaware of the safe ways to prevent pregnancies. This can lead to men and women becoming parents at an unfit time in their lives or abortion, which is an awful decision for any woman to have to make.

That’s another thing: abortion. We can’t just ignore this topic. When girls get pregnant at a young age, abortion is often the answer. It’s not pretty, it’s not at all an easy decision, but it happens everyday and gives millions of women country-wide a second chance. Planned Parenthood provides abortion services- that is, safe abortion services, performed by medical professionals in a supportive environment. So, let’s say Planned Parenthood is defunded. Where do women go? Sure, there are abortion clinics, but the cost is much more because they’re not government funded. What if a woman can’t afford it? Where does she go then? That’s when it gets dangerous. Horror story after horror story of woman so desperate for help, unsafe and often deadly measures are taken.

Abortion is not a decision any woman wants to be faced with. No one is jumping at the opportunity to choose between their life and a child’s life. It’s not an easy way out- it’s a personal resolution. If a woman feels she can raise the baby, she should keep it. If a woman feels like she can’t properly raise a child at that point in her life, she should be allowed to have a safe, affordable abortion. It’s her body, her right- why should some politician who couldn’t possibly understand the situation have any say in it?

Abortion is not the only procedure Planned Parenthood provides. Women all over the country rely on Planned Parenthood for affordable, necessary tests- such as Pap Tests and breast exams, which are critical for detecting diseases like cancer. They also provide tests and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases, which, if not cared for, can lead to serious, sometimes fatal, health complications.

Planned Parenthood should not be defunded- not now, and not ever. Doing so would overlook the needs of the roughly 2.5 million men and women who visit annually and eliminate a source of affordable health care. It’s almost unthinkable that the government would even consider cutting off a program that supports and informs such a large number of United States citizens- defunding Planned Parenthood would be the government turning its back on the American people.

Sincerely,

Lucy D.