Young Teens Should Not

Be Forced Into Motherhood

To the Editor,

Abortion is one of the most controversial issues debated today. According to Planned Parenthood, “40 percent of 14-year-old girls will become pregnant before they turn 20.” Imagine if this were to happen to someone close to you, such as a sister or a friend. A 14-year-old girl should not be forced to raise a child or risk a dangerous abortion because of poor judgment, lack of knowledge or carelessness. Nor should a teenager give up her dreams and be denied the opportunity of pursuing an education. Certainly, rape victims should be entitled to terminate an unwanted pregnancy resulting from a violent and vicious crime.

Outlawing abortions would only serve to drive women into back alleys where abortions become dangerous. Until the 1973 Supreme Court decision in the case of Roe v. Wade, “nearly a million women per year sought out illegal abortions, thousands died, and tens of thousands were mutilated […]” (Planned Parenthood). I believe abortions should remain legal because a currently safe medical procedure becomes dangerous when it occurs in improper settings.

The idea of Pro-Choice does not necessarily mean Pro-Abortion. However, this theory allows the availability of safe and legal abortion services, should they be needed. Anti-abortion views include the argument that the fetus is a “person” that deserves rights equal to the mother. However, “77 percent of all abortions occur within eight weeks of fertilization, when the embryo is less than an inch long and weighs no more than an aspirin tablet (Biology, History, & the Politics of Abortion). High brain functioning does not begin until the twenty-eighth week and therefore the fetus is not yet a person. Most of all, parenting is the most important responsibility a person undertakes in her life. If the mother is not prepared or is unwilling to take on that responsibility, she should not be forced into this role by the government.

Sincerely,

Melissa Fornabia

199 Sugar Street, Newtown                                 October 14, 1999