Portrait of Hillary Clinton
Politician · policy
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Hillary Clinton on Abortion

Strong abortion rights advocate (strong) Position evolved

TL;DR

Hillary Clinton strongly advocates for protecting abortion access, including federal defense of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood funding.

Key Points

  • She stated in 2016 that she would defend Planned Parenthood and Roe v. Wade against attacks.

  • She once supported the goal of abortion being "safe, legal, and rare," though opponents argue this stance has since evolved to unqualified defense of access.

  • As a senator, she voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which recognized an unborn child as a separate legal victim of crime.

Summary

Hillary Clinton maintains a firm position in favor of legalized abortion, consistently campaigning to defend what she refers to as a woman's right to make her own health care decisions. She has pledged to protect the precedent established by Roe v. Wade and to ensure federal funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood, which she describes as critical providers of reproductive health care. This stance includes opposing legislative efforts to restrict abortion access, particularly concerning later-term procedures, which she has asserted should be left to the woman and her doctor, often citing heartbreaking medical necessity cases.

Her position has been characterized as the first by a major political figure to support abortion rights without the traditional caveats of distaste or a desire for them to be "rare," moving beyond the historical phrase "safe, legal, and rare" that she once echoed. While she has stated a goal to reduce the need for abortion through family planning and sex education, her current emphasis is on unqualified defense of access against legislative and judicial challenges. Opponents have frequently characterized her views as "extremely" liberal on the issue, particularly regarding late-term abortions and the use of taxpayer dollars for these procedures.

Key Quotes

I will defend Planned Parenthood. I will defend Roe v. Wade, and I will defend women's rights to make their own health care decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hillary Clinton is a strong advocate for protecting abortion access as a fundamental right. She has explicitly stated her commitment to defending Roe v. Wade and ensuring federal support for reproductive health care providers like Planned Parenthood. Her position centers on the belief that the government should not interfere with a woman’s deeply personal healthcare decisions.

Yes, her language regarding abortion appears to have evolved over time. While in the past she referred to abortion as something that should be "rare," more recent statements have been characterized as an unequivocal defense of abortion rights without apology or qualification. This shift is noted by both supporters and critics as a move toward a more assertive pro-choice stance.

She has defended access to later abortions, stating that such procedures often occur due to medical necessity or the discovery of severe fetal anomalies. She expressed that the government should not interfere with these difficult decisions made by women and their doctors. Fact-checkers noted that her broad statement implying most late-term abortions are medically necessary lacked definitive data support.