The presidential shift to the Trump administration has brought about uncertainty in many political and societal aspects. His original campaign was inadequate in making his stances on important issues clearly defined. But one major hot-button issue that Donald Trump has been unclear about is the future of women’s rights, including what the future holds for Planned Parenthood.

Women’s rights has been a long fought-for issue. Even though it started with Women’s Lib in the mid- to late- 60s, many women still feel that equality has not been achieved. But for all the progress that has already been made, several backwards steps have been and will continue to be taken by President Trump.

The widely-recognized Women’s March was staged as a preemptive statement that the rights of minorities, including the LGBT community, the Latino community and sexual assault survivors, cannot be ignored and must be protected. President Trump is already failing to do his duty in making the right choices for all Americans, not just the ones whose votes he won.

An order was recently signed to defund Planned Parenthood, which often has a negative reputation among conservative Republicans. However, it needs to be taken into account that abortions are a fraction of a percent of the services they provide. Many fail to recognize that Planned Parenthood is often the only available healthcare resource for women unable to pay for it otherwise. Taking away access to affordable and necessary medical care is only going to have negative impacts on public health.

Though it’s early in the Trump administration, I am not confident in his ability to lead this country in the right direction, and to make it a welcoming, supportive country for all.

17hnorris@usd489.com