Hillary Clinton Pledges Support for Planned Parenthood, Slams Trump’s Views on Women’s Issues
Hillary Clinton gave her first major speech since she became the presumptive nominee for the Democrat Party, speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on Friday. Clinton kept the energy in the room up during her speech, pledging to always have Planned Parenthood’s back, and attacking Donald Trump’s record on women. Clinton pointed out that Trump keeps saying he’s going to be great for women but that his actions and words prove otherwise.
Hillary Clinton defends reproductive rights in impassioned Planned Parenthood speech. https://t.co/s6A5k7LPc3 pic.twitter.com/XgtOj6AAWY
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) June 11, 2016
During her speech, Clinton praised Dr. Amna Dermish, an abortion provider in Texas, who called out Donald Trump after his comments that women should be punished if they have an abortion. Dr. Dermish took Trump to task at the time, stating that women who come to her seeking to terminate their pregnancy have been punished long before they step foot in her office. Clinton talked about the open letter Dr. Dermish wrote to Trump during her speech, stating that it should be required reading for every politician in America.
Clinton praised all of the work that Planned Parenthood does and thanked them for their dedication to women “no matter their race, sexual orientation, or immigration status.” She stated that she is proud to stand with Planned Parenthood and said that as President she would always have their back.
Speaking about Trump, Clinton said that he was trying to turn back the clock. When bringing up Trump’s statement that he would be the best for women, Clinton mocked him.
“Anyone who wants to defund Planned Parenthood, and wipe out safe, legal abortion has no idea what’s best for women.”
Planned Parenthood and women’s reproductive rights have been under near constant attack as of late, with numerous laws being enacted that restrict women’s access to abortion and Planned Parenthood being defunded in 11 states. Response to Clinton’s speech has been largely popular, with people hitting social media to show their support for her.
#PP.@HillaryClinton proved her reproductive-rights chops in a glorious Planned Parenthood speech https://t.co/RyFyb7PxMw via @doublexmag
— Laurel Davila, CPA (@laureldavilacpa) June 10, 2016
.@HillaryClinton‘s speech is a beautiful thank you note to Planned Parenthood clinicians and staff. #StandWithPP #ImWithHer
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) June 10, 2016
In January 2016, Planned Parenthood endorsed Hillary Clinton, making her the first presidential primary endorsement in the 100 years that it has been in existence. While Trump has made comments in support of Planned Parenthood in the past saying that they have done important work for women, he maintains however that he would defund them because they provide abortion services.
While Clinton was giving her impassioned speech, Trump was meeting with evangelical leaders to try to earn their support. Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference, in addition to attacking Clinton as being “unfit” to be president, he also pledged to “uphold the sanctity and dignity of life.”
Planned Parenthood, abortion and women’s health have been a key issue in this year-long election campaign. If Trump wins the election he could potentially fill the vacant Supreme Court seat with a conservative judge, meaning women will have an uphill battle on many important issues. The Huffington Post did up a great video highlighting what is at stake in this election.
The video talks about women’s ability to choose what happens to their own body, equal pay for equal work, and gun control. Like women’s health issues, gun control has been a hot-button issue lately with all of the mass shootings taking place in the United States. Democrats have been pushing for stricter gun control laws, while Republicans have historically argued against any and all legislation about guns.
Clinton ended her speech by pledging to continue to stand by Planned Parenthood, as well as ensuring that she was going to work hard to break down all barriers that hold women back. While time will tell who will win this election, one thing is for sure, it is going to continue to be ugly and full of personal attacks right through to election day. Hopefully, the issues don’t get lost in the rhetoric.
[Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images]
