October 21, 2016

Dear Future President:

To what extent should women be allowed access to abortion in the United States? Easy access to abortions not only safeguards their health, but it also gives them more control over their bodies. In today’s society females/teenagers/mothers/little girls are told constantly what to do. They are told constantly they're too fat or too skinny, or not fat enough or not skinny enough. Yes, I know it sounds dumb, but abortion is one of few things a mother/teenager has control of when it comes to their health and/or well being. Women should have the right to choose what to do with their own bodies. I feel abortion should be legal, but only to a certain extent. Abortion needs to be legal because it gives women better control of their bodies and simply a lot of women feel guilty bringing up a baby into a terrible living conditions. However, if the mother is seven months pregnant or more and decides to abort the baby, that’s not ok. Abortion safeguards their health and gives more control over their bodies.

When it comes to having children, it should be planned out. “It is a woman's right to decide whether or not she carries through a pregnancy. If abortions were illegal, women seeking to terminate their pregnancies would be forced to resort to unsafe and dangerous underground procedures. It is something a woman chooses to do; it is her body. She should be able to do what she wants with it. Abortion should be ok to an extent; for example, if a teenage girl has been raped, she might feel guilty that her child was not conceived out of love. Abortion is something a female chooses to do. Abortion is something that goes on in the mother’s private life. If the mother is perfectly ok with aborting the fetus, then it should be ok, it’s her life and her privacy. According to an article, "the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade, decided on Jan. 22, 1973 in favor of abortion rights, remains the law of the land. The 7-2 decision stated that the Constitution gives "a guarantee of certain areas or zones of privacy," and that "This right of privacy... is broad enough to encompass a woman's decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy” ("Abortion"). This proves that a woman and along with everyone else deserves privacy. As a woman in today’s society whether people would like to admit it or not, we do not get a whole lot of privacy. It is a woman's right to decide whether or not she carries through a pregnancy. If abortions were illegal, women seeking to terminate their pregnancies would be forced to resort to unsafe and dangerous underground procedures. State governments restricting access to abortion are setting back women's rights by decades and endangering women's health.

A pregnant woman may or may not be ready to bring her child into this world just yet, maybe she hasn’t settled down yet. When it comes to having a child it should be planned out. If a woman was kidnapped and or raped, (goes for all ages) they realize they have gotten pregnant sometimes they'll feel guilty that the baby was not conceived in love. According to research, "46.4% lesbians, 74.9% bisexual women and 43.3% heterosexual women reported sexual violence other than rape during their lifetimes. 12.3% of women were age 10 or younger at the time, of their first rape/victimization, and 30% of women were between the ages of 11 and 17." There are a lot of pregnancies that go un-planned. Having a child is an important decision that requires consideration, preparation, and planning. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment stated that "unintended pregnancies are associated with birth defects, low birth weight, maternal depression, increased risk of child abuse, lower educational attainment, delayed entry into prenatal care, a high risk of physical violence during pregnancy, and reduced rates of breastfeeding. 49% of all pregnancies among American women are unintended“ ("Abortion”). These quotes show that there are lots of teens and older women that have unplanned pregnancies.

Some researchers may argue, “A fetus is a human life, and abortion is murder. There are alternatives to abortion for women who do not wish to have a child, and it is likely that fetuses past a certain stage can feel pain during abortion procedures. States that have attempted to limit abortions have done the right thing, and the federal government and the U.S. Supreme Court should follow suit”. With our vast growing population and lack of sexual predators locked up and lack of teaching younger kids of how to have protected sex, it is kind of hard to make sure condoms or birth control pills are used. Safe, protected sex is a big part of it. The bigger picture is this:  “It is a woman's right to decide whether or not she carries through a pregnancy. If abortions were illegal, women seeking to terminate their pregnancies would be forced to resort to unsafe and dangerous underground procedures. State governments restricting access to abortion are setting back women's rights by decades and endangering women's health.”

I think that without a doubt abortion should become legal, it gives women the right to do with what she wants with her OWN body and it is up to woman on what they want for themselves and their unborn child. Make abortion legal and help the people of our country understand and see a mother’s real true reason as to why they feel abortion is the best choice. By teaching kids at a young age what protected and safe sex is and by locking away sexual predators for longer than two months, I feel like that can also help in decreasing the abortion rate. The main thing that would help is if you helped the people of our nation understand abortion and gain a better understanding to the reasons behind a mother’s choice for abortion.

“In 2012, adolescents under 15 years obtained .04% of all abortions, but had the highest abortion ratio: 817 abortions for every 1,000 live births (CDC). On average, women give at least 3 reasons for choosing abortion: 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities; about 3/4 say they cannot afford a child; and 1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner (AGI).One per cent (of aborting women) reported that they were the survivors of rape (NAF). 40% of minors having an abortion report that neither of their parents knew about the abortion (AGI)” ("Abortion Facts").

So I would like to thank you, our future President, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to read my letter along with many others. It means a lot to me, and I’m sure it means a lot to others as well.

Sincerely,

Kaci Meade