Hillary Clinton’s support for abortion is longstanding and unwavering. But many Americans may be surprised to learn just how extreme her position is.
Here are 10 times so far in the 2016 campaign that Hillary Clinton has showed her extremism on abortion.
1) “Religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed” to expand abortion.
At a speech to the Women in the World Conference in April 2015, Hillary Clinton argued, “Far too many women are denied access to reproductive health care (aka. abortion) and safe childbirth, and laws don’t count for much if they’re not enforced,” In order to expand worldwide access to abortion, she suggested that “deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”
2) Clinton attacks bill to protect unborn babies from painful late abortions.
In May 2015, the U.S. House passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn babies 20 weeks and older from excruciating late abortions. In addition to a statement slamming House lawmakers for advancing the bill, Clinton tweeted, “When it comes to women’s health, there are two kinds of experts: women and their doctors. True 40+ years ago, true today.” Poll after poll shows a majority of Americans support such legislation, including a majority of women.
Clinton even denies the science of fetal pain.
Substantial medical and scientific evidence shows unborn babies are capable of feeling pain by 20 weeks after fertilization, if not earlier. It is well-documented here: www.doctorsonfetalpain.com. This developmental milestone forms the basis for the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Yet Clinton chooses to ignore these facts of human biology, claiming the bill is “not based on sound science” per a statement by her campaign.
3) Clinton calls abortion a “fundamental human right.”
At a presidential forum at Drake University, Clinton called ending the life of another human being a “fundamental human right.” In abortion, unborn babies suffer deaths by dismemberment, suction, poisoning or other methods. That is not a human right. That’s a violation of the fundamental right of every human person to life.
4) Clinton receives endorsement of radically pro-abortion EMILY’s List
As an example of how extreme they are, for a candidate to be supported by EMILY’s List, they must take a hard-line stance in opposition to any and all limitations on abortion and support full tax funding of abortion. Former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) had been backed by EMILY’s List in her first election but after supporting a ban on partial-birth abortion, the group withdrew their support for future elections.
5) Clinton receives endorsement of the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood.
Hillary Clinton became the first presidential candidate in Planned Parenthood’s history to receive a primary endorsement. In an interview with PP CEO Cecile Richards, Hillary Clinton vowed to stand lockstep with the abortion provider in opposing pro-life efforts, “I want to be that president that will say, ‘Forget about it. Don’t waste your time; you know you’re not getting past me.’” She received a last-minute six-figure media buy from the abortion provider just days ahead of the Iowa caucuses, which she narrowly eked out a win.
6) Clinton even defends Planned Parenthood after videos expose the organization’s trafficking of aborted baby body parts.
After the stomach-churning undercover videos of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the harvesting and pricing of aborted baby body parts, Clinton stood firm in support of the abortion provider. She went as far as to say, “I’m proud to stand with Planned Parenthood.” At a campaign event in South Carolina, she lamented, “I think it is unfortunate that Planned Parenthood has been the object of such a concerted attack for so many years.”
7) StemExpress CEO Cate Dyer has endorsed Clinton for president.
The CEO of StemExpress, the company featured in several undercover videos for its participation with Planned Parenthood in trafficking baby body parts, has voiced her support for Hillary Clinton. “I’m a huge Hillary fan … she’s getting elected this time. It’s a done deal as far as I’m concerned,” she said.
8) Hillary Clinton calls for ending the Hyde Amendment.
The pro-life Hyde Amendment, first enacted in 1976, prevents taxpayer funding of elective abortions through federal programs like Medicaid. By conservative estimates, the statute has saved over one million lives. Make no mistake about it: Clinton would make expanding federal funding for abortion a major priority in the White House. Clinton’s own website states “there is no more important issue than defending reproductive rights (aka. abortion).”
9) Clinton attacked state-level efforts to enact commonsense protections for unborn children and their mothers.
Clinton’s campaign called the flurry of pro-life bills introduced in state legislatures “a dangerous trend.” Her campaign lamented, “In just the first three months of 2015, more than 300 bills have been introduced in state legislatures — on top of the nearly 30 measures introduced in Congress — that restrict access to abortion.” Among the measures being discussed on the state level are bills dealing with unborn pain, dismemberment abortions, informed consent, parental involvement, and webcam abortions.
10) Clinton likened pro-life Americans to terrorists
“Now, extreme views about women, we expect that from some of the terrorist groups, we expect that from people who don’t want to live in the modern world, but it’s a little hard to take from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States,” Clinton said at a campaign event in Ohio on August 27, 2015.
According to the latest numbers from Gallup, a total of 55% of Americans think abortion should be illegal in all circumstances or legal in only a few circumstances. Significantly, only 29% support abortion under any circumstances. That’s Hillary Clinton’s position.
Chelsea Garcia is a political writer with a special interest in international relations and social issues. Events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the war in Israel are a major focus for political journalists. But as a former local reporter, she is also interested in national politics.
Chelsea Garcia studied media, communication and political science in Texas, USA, and learned the journalistic trade during an internship at a daily newspaper. In addition to her political writing, she is pursuing a master's degree in multimedia and writing at Texas.