“Roe v. Wade…protects a woman’s freedom to make her own choices about her body and her health, and reaffirms a fundamental American value: that government should not intrude in our most private and personal family matters.”
—President Barack Obama of the United States of America, January 22nd, 2015
“Being pro-choice is trusting the individual to make the right decision for herself and her family, and not entrusting that decision to anyone wearing the authority of government in any regard.”
—Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former First Lady and Democratic Presidential Candidate of 2016
“Seventy-seven percent of anti-abortion leaders are men. 100 percent of them will never be pregnant.”
—Planned Parenthood advertisement
When anyone is reading this, I want them to keep in mind of the words, “choice”, “decision”, and “right”.
I know that many people would disagree with me, and I respect anyone’s opinion, even if it is against mine. I do not believe that abortion is the answer to all pregnancies. I advocate for the woman’s right to choose what she wants for herself and her baby. She does not have to receive an abortion, it is her right to decide what is best for the life of her baby and her own body, whether that is keeping the baby and raising it, terminating the pregnancy, or giving the baby up for adoption.
Pregnancy may harm the woman, and in even some cases, harm both baby and mother. Also, there are some unfortunate situations where genetic diseases can cause poor quality of life for the baby when it is born. For example, Canavan disease is a “progressive, fatal neurological disorder that begins in infancy” (The Canavan Foundation 1), where a defect in maintaining the growth of the myelin sheath, which protects nerves and allows them to provide signals. Without proper nerve signals, the body can suffer from paralysis and many other neurological complications. Most of these children do not live past the age of 10 (The Canavan Foundation 1).
Not only am I an advocate for a woman’s decision regarding her health, but also, I strongly support her reproductive rights. Planned Parenthood does not only have an abortion clinic, but they also have many different methods of contraception and easy access for any woman to protect herself. A woman has the right to decide when the right time to have a child is for her. Unfortunately, however, birth control can still fail and things happen when we don’t expect them to. That’s when it comes to the woman’s decision on what she believes is the right thing to do for her baby and herself.
I write this article with respect to all opinions, and I strongly advocate for the woman’s right to her own body. I am not for pro-abortion, I am for pro-choice. I believe that it is the woman’s decision, and no one else’s, to advocate for what’s best for the health of her unborn baby, and herself.
"I have met thousands and thousands of pro-choice men and women. I have never met anyone who is pro-abortion.”
—Hillary Rodham Clinton
