Dear future president,

My name is Amanda Kaplowitz and I am a high school student in Westport, CT. After exploring many topics that are relevant to the upcoming election, I realized that, as a young woman, I feel most strongly about the issue of abortion. I believe that abortion should be legal because every woman should be able to choose what she wants to do when she becomes pregnant. For a women to be denied the choice to have an abortion is immoral and takes away her basic rights as an American. Also in the cases of rape, unwanted pregnancies and unqualified parenting, abortion should be available.

A women should be able to make the choice that she wants, seeing as a pregnancy can divert one’s life completely. Think back to life-altering choices that you were able to make. One important choice that stands out, Ms. Clinton, was when you decided to follow your heart by leaving Washington, DC to be with Bill in Arkansas. Many great things came out of this decision, such as your strong role in his political campaign and your marriage. However, if you did not have this option and were forced to stay in DC, you might not be in the same position you are today in your political career. Similarly Mr. Trump, you made the choice to follow your father’s career path and work in the family real estate business. If you did not have this option and you instead pursued another career, you would not be as wealthy and successful as you are today. So, as you can see, the choices that you made, greatly impacted your future. Had these choices not been available, both of your lives would be completely different. Why should this not be the same for women seeking an abortion? Why should they not be allowed to choose what they want to do?

If abortion is made illegal, it will go against the fundamental rights a woman has as an American. The Declaration of Independence states that, everyone has “certain unalienable rights life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Taking away a woman’s option to abort, is taking away these rights, which she is entitled to. Also, it should not be up to the government to decide what a women should do with her body because it needs to be up to her and only her. To have control over your own body is a moral right and if the government enforces abortion laws, this right will be violated. Overall, women need to be given all basic rights, end of discussion.

Another reason why abortion should certainly be permitted is in the case of rape and other logical circumstances. According to rainn.org, “The average number of rapes against females of childbearing age is approximately 250,000. Thus, the number of children conceived from rape each year in the United States might range from 7,750—12,500.” This proves that women who are raped and were not planning on being a mother, now have to change their lives completely to do so. It is utterly unfair to force a women to have an unwanted child, which is why abortion needs to be an option. Also, according to operationrescue.org, 21% of women get abortions because they are not ready for the responsibility, 21% due to inadequate finances and 11% are too young and immature. To me, these all seem like legitimate reasons and demonstrate that it is necessary that abortion be available because often times the mother is trying to benefit her baby’s future as well as her own.

It is essential that abortion is legalized urgently because women need to make their own choice about what they want to do when pregnant. If they don’t, their rights will be sacrificed and it won’t be available even for reasonable incidents. As the future President, you must take action immediately so as to not create a nation that denies rights to citizens.