Does Hillary Clinton Support Late Term Abortion ‘Up To Baby’s Due Date’ As Marco Rubio Suggests?
The Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton was blasted by Republican candidate Marco Rubio during the Republican debate last night. Rubio called Clinton’s position on abortion “extreme,” noting that the self-proclaimed feminist supports abortion up until the baby’s due date. Clinton has responded to Rubio’s attacks on Planned Parenthood and abortion by calling them “pathetic,” but what about the claim that Hillary supports late term abortion? Does the Democratic presidential candidate really support abortion up until a pregnant woman’s due date?
The Daily Mail reports that GOP candidate Marco Rubio took time during Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate to blast Hillary Clinton for her “extreme” stance on abortion. Rubio claimed that Clinton supported a woman’s right to choose all the way up to the woman’s due date despite late-term abortion being outlawed in a large portion of the United States. In fact, the Daily Signal reports that the United States is just one of seven developed countries that still allow late-term abortions in any of its states or provinces.
You’ve got to hear @marcorubio call out Hillary Clinton’s abortion extremism in the #GOPDebate tonight: https://t.co/33f57sCpBd
— Team Marco (@TeamMarco) February 7, 2016
Clinton is a vocal supporter of Planned Parenthood and defines herself as pro-choice and has vocally claimed that women should have the right to decide what happens with their body, including having the ability to decide to terminate a pregnancy. However, Clinton has claimed that she wants abortions to be “rare” as women gain better access to other alternatives such as birth control, adoption, and foster families.
“I think abortion should remain legal, but it needs to be safe and rare. And I have spent many years now, as a private citizen, as first lady, and now as senator, trying to make it rare, trying to create the conditions where women had other choices. I have supported adoption, foster care. I helped to create the campaign against teenage pregnancy, which fulfilled our original goal 10 years ago of reducing teenage pregnancies by about a third. And I am committed to do even more.”
Though Hillary Clinton says that she wants to make abortions “rare” and “safe,” she has also made claims that late-term, partial-birth abortions should be allowed under certain circumstances. In fact, during a Senate debate in 2000, Hillary Clinton said she “can support” a ban on late-term abortions but only if the health and well-being of the mother is taken into consideration.
“My opponent is wrong. I have said many times that I can support a ban on late-term abortions, including partial-birth abortions, so long as the health and life of the mother is protected. I’ve met women who faced this heart-wrenching decision toward the end of a pregnancy. Of course it’s a horrible procedure. No one would argue with that. But if your life is at stake, if your health is at stake, if the potential for having any more children is at stake, this must be a woman’s choice.”
Therefore, it appears that Marco Rubio’s statement that Clinton supports late-term abortion up until the baby’s due date is partially true. Clinton has stated that late-term, partial-birth abortions should be legal in situations in which the mother’s life is in danger.
.@HillaryClinton says @MarcoRubio‘s attacks on her beliefs about abortion are “pathetic” https://t.co/7QTtvQrJMP pic.twitter.com/UL0hcwIqxB
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 7, 2016
It is not surprising that Hillary Clinton would call Marco Rubio’s attacks “pathetic” as she has said many times that woman should “remain vigilant” about their “right to choose” being stripped away from them.
“I am and always have been pro-choice, and that is not a right any of should take for granted. There are a number of forces at work in our society that would try to turn back the clock and undermine a woman’s right to chose, and [we] must remain vigilant.”
What do you think about Marco Rubio’s statement that Hillary Clinton’s stance on abortion is “extreme?”
[Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images]
