Dear Editor,

As United States citizens, we are entitled to our right of personal and privacy rights — and our responsibilities include respecting those rights, beliefs and opinions of others. Part of respecting these opinions, beliefs and personal rights is respecting one’s personal decisions. But this is something that has always been questioned by our nation: the morality and decision of birth control and abortion. In the article, “Birth control and the Republican candidates” by Leah Forester, she discusses the issues surrounding birth control in society and our government today, and some actions that Republicans are willing to take to take this right away from us.

It is important to bring this issue to the public’s eye because it involves such a large percentage of our population: 50.8 percent, which is the amount of women in the United States as of the 2010 United States Census. If Republicans such as Mitt Romney have it their way, our nation might be facing the fact we will not be allowed to make our own decisions about birth control and abortions. He wants to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision of Roe v. Wade. This is the decision ruled that women have the right to privacy under the 14th Amendment to have an abortion.

If we support the Republican candidates, we will be putting at risk one of the most important rights we as United States citizens enjoy: the right to personal privacy rights.

Thank you for your time,

McKaela Schmidt
mesf43@mail.missouri.edu