With Donald Trump’s presidency comes challenge for a great deal of people – specifically women, in this case. Perhaps one of the most controversial aspects of his campaign was his vow to cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood, along with nearly outlawing abortions in America. This did not sit well with many Americans –  the concept of a woman’s right to choose has been widely recognized and respected – until now. In an article written by Robin Utz and published by The Washington Post, Mrs. Utz spoke about her struggle with getting an abortion in Trump’s America. She had discovered after her 21 week ultrasound that her daughter had developed bilateral multi-cystic dysplastic kidney disease. This particular disease has 100% fatality rate in newborns, and threatens the mother’s life if carried to full-term. Because of this, Utz and her husband made the painful decision to abort their daughter, whom they had already named, Grace Pearl. Knowing their daughter would endure a painful life and a painful death, they made this decision out of love. Robin Utz expressed that the abortion process in Missouri was especially excruciating. She had to sign a statement confirming she had heard her baby’s heartbeat, and another declaring she knew she was “ending the life of a separate, unique, living human being”. In addition to this, her private insurance did not cover the abortion, so it was extremely expensive to obtain. With the federal defunding of abortions, women with little money will be forced to carry their baby’s until birth, with minimal exceptions to the situation. It’s worrisome to me, and millions of women across the United States, that we are living in a country wherein the government determines what is deemed right and wrong for a woman’s body. Hopefully there will be compromise and reform in the future.

An undeniable fact is that social media is rapidly expanding into our lives. While it may have its drawbacks, it proved to be quite helpful in one man’s journey to find Donald Trump’s missing $10,000 portrait. In an article written by David A. Fahrenthold and published by The Washington Post, Univision news anchor, Enrique Acevedo was able to solve the mystery behind the notorious painting through social media. Tweets based off of a picture found on Tripadvisor.com circulated earlier that night, speculating that Trump National Doral Miami, a golf resort owned by then GOP nominee, was home to a self-portrait purchased with his own charity’s funds. Curiosity led Acevedo to look into the matter himself. He reserved a room at the resort and wandered the halls, asking the staff whether they had seen the portrait. Upon one staff member’s directions to look for it downstairs, Acevedo walked into Champions Bar and Grill, to find the $10,000 portrait resting on a wall, absent of a plaque. The next day he snapped a picture and took to Twitter to confirm that the tweets were true. Perhaps the portrait was “missing” because the Trump Foundation illegally purchased it to be used at a for-profit resort?