Dear Future President,

My name is Layla Wofsy and I am a highschool student in Westport, CT. Abortion is a major issue in the 2016 presidential election, with two sides- the right to choose, and the right to life. I believe that women should have the right to choose if they want to continue or abort a pregnancy. Women have the moral right and are capable to choose what is best for themselves, and an unwanted pregnancy can negatively affect a woman's life in regard to their future education, which will prevent them from reaching their full potential.

I believe that women should have complete control over their bodies, because only they know what is best for themselves, and only they are capable of making those decisions. In 2006, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg supported this idea saying, “Women, it is now acknowledged, have the talent, capacity, and right to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation. Their ability to realize their full potential is intimately connected to their ability to control their reproductive lives” (Lee). Women are fully capable and qualified to make the decision to abort or to continue a pregnancy. If a woman is pregnant and knows that she will be unable to care for her child but is prohibited from getting an abortion, that child will be in danger once born. In an article discussing abortion, feminist activist, Sharon Smith writes, “without control over their own reproductive lives, women couldn't be the equals of men” (Abortion: Every Woman's Right). This supports the argument that if women are not allowed to control their bodies, they do not have the same rights as men. The government does not have the right to decide what is right for women when it does not know their capabilities to care for their future child.

An unwanted pregnancy can affect a woman's life in a negative way, impacting her education and preventing her from being able to earn a substantial income for her family. The mother will likely have no choice but to to stay home with the baby, forcing her to leave school or sacrifice her job. More than one-third of teenage girls who have dropped out of high school say that early pregnancy was the key reason for leaving. (Preventing Teen and Unwanted Pregnancies). This proves that when teen women are forced to give birth to an unwanted child, they are putting their education at risk and tend to drop out to care for their child. Consequently, these women face limited job opportunities, minimizing the potential income they could earn. As a powerful businessman, Mr. Trump, you must agree that without the education you received, you would have not been as successful as you are today. If you were a woman, and were forced to have an unwanted child, you would likely not have received the same education and would have likely stayed home to care for your child. Mrs. Clinton, you have also been successful and were one of the brightest students at Wellesley College, as well as Yale Law School. If you had an unwanted pregnancy and were forced to give birth to the child, you would have been unable to continue with your education and would not have received the same employment opportunities in Washington. (The Choice, 2016). By permitting women to have the right to abort an unborn child, you will be allowing them to continue on with their education and reach their goals in the workforce.

As President, you must fight for a women’s rights to choose. Women must have the ability to control their own bodies and the government must not be in charge of this decision. Legalizing abortion would also minimize unwanted pregnancies that would otherwise prevent women from continuing with their education or employment. When women have the choice to have an abortion, they will truly be free.

Thank You,

Layla Wofsy