Hillary Clinton has been guiding the nation through the finer points of her 2016 presidential loss via countless media appearances and speeches aimed and promoting her new memoir, “What Happened.”
Clinton’s book touches on a plethora of subjects, including President Donald Trump, her long-spanning political career and, more specifically, abortion, with the latter topic serving as a notable inclusion considering that one of the most memorable 2016 presidential debate moments focused on that very subject.
Rather than shy away from her staunchly pro-choice views, the former Democratic presidential candidate doubled down and had a message for pro-life Democrats among her party’s ranks: support for “anti-choice” policies is absolutely off-limits.
In “What Happened, Clinton showered praise upon controversial women’s healthcare organization Planned Parenthood, writing that “few organizations are as intimately connected to the day-to-day lives of Americans from all classes and backgrounds as Planned Parenthood.” Clinton also added that few groups are “under more persistent attack.”
But she wasn’t done there, as she then went after those — including former presidential rival Bernie Sanders — who have argued that pro-life, Democratic candidates should be embraced by the party.
“After the election Bernie suggested that Democrats should be open to nominating and supporting candidates who are anti-choice. Other topics, such as economic justice, are sacrosanct, but apparently women’s health is not,” Clinton wrote. “I don’t mean to criticize only Bernie here. A lot of progressives join him in thinking that reproductive rights are negotiable.”
She said that she believes there’s “room” in the party for different “personal views about abortion,” but that a line must be drawn when it comes to “public actions.”
Thus, to translate: it’s fine to be pro-life in one’s personal life, but carrying that through to policy isn’t acceptable.
“When personal views on abortion become public actions — votes on legislation or judges or funding that erode women’s rights — that’s a different matter,” she said. “We have to remain a big tent, but a big tent is only as strong as the poles that hold it up. Reproductive rights is central to women’s rights and women’s health, and it’s one of the most important tent poles we’ve got.”
The Washington Examiner has more about Clinton’s abortion stance in “What Happened.”