Article Summary –
Hillary Clinton criticized the Democratic Party for underestimating the growing strength of anti-abortion forces, which led to the fall of Roe v. Wade. She argued that Democrats failed to protect abortion rights and were taken by surprise by the Dobbs decision in 2022. Clinton claimed that Democrats were in denial and overly reliant on faith in the courts and legal precedent, leading them to fail to recognize the erosion of abortion rights by the anti-abortion movement.
Hillary Clinton Criticizes Democrats over Abortion Rights’ Decline
Hillary Clinton has reproached her Democratic peers for a failure spanning decades to safeguard abortion rights. She expressed in her first comprehensive interview about the Roe v. Wade case’s overthrow in 2022 that Democrats underestimated the mounting strength of anti-abortion forces. She asserts that most Democrats were taken aback by the unexpected 2022 Dobbs decision.
Clinton’s candid remarks suggest Democrats have been in denial for decades. They failed to foresee that a right entrenched in American life for generations could be eroded. She believes that Democrats’ faith in the courts and legal precedent blinded them to the anti-abortion movement’s gradual undermining of abortion rights until it was too late.
“We didn’t grasp the magnitude of the threat,” Clinton said. She believes most Americans were ignorant of the existential struggle for the country’s future.
Her comments figure prominently in an interview conducted in late February for an upcoming book titled, “The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America.”
Democrats Failing to Protect Abortion Rights
Clinton’s assessment may resonate with many Democrats. However, as the party focuses on leveraging abortion as an electoral tool, there is little public introspection among Democrats about their role in failing to protect abortion rights. Clinton argues that even when the Democrats were in control of Congress, they were reluctant to pass legislation codifying abortion rights into federal law.
Democrats, including President Biden, often refused even to use the term abortion. Clinton argues that this sense of denial prevailed at the party’s highest ranks, excluding herself.
Clinton Warns of Threat to American Democracy
As the country gears up for its third referendum on Mr. Trump, Clinton issues a stern warning about the 2024 election. She warns that a second Trump administration would target women’s health care, gay rights, civil rights, and even the fundamental principles of American democracy itself.
“This election is existential. If we make the wrong decision, we may never have another actual election,” she warns. She goes on to describe the forces restricting women’s rights as part of a “global phenomenon”. She points out towards a trend by Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, to urge women to focus on child-rearing. She also highlights the violent policing of women who violate Iran’s conservative dress code and the misogyny of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
The Roe Era in American Life and Its Demise
Clinton remains one of the most prominent women in American politics years after her last campaign. Her life encapsulates what could be seen as the Roe era in American life, representing the professional and personal changes that swept the lives of American women over the past half-century. Roe was decided in 1973, the year Mrs. Clinton graduated from law school.
Clinton argues that Democrats neglected abortion rights from the voting booth to Congress to the Supreme Court. She offered a detailed assessment of the past. The ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was devastating for her. “It says that we are not equal citizens,” she said, referring to women.
Clinton’s Fight for Women’s Rights
From the time she arrived in Washington as first lady, Clinton fought openly for abortion rights. In a 1995 speech at the World Conference on Women in Beijing, she declared that “human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights”. In 2016, Planned Parenthood endorsed her candidacy, the first time the organization waded into a presidential primary. In her campaign, Clinton promised to appoint judges who would preserve Roe and opposed efforts in Congress to pass a 20-week abortion ban.
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