2020 Fox Town Hall: on Abortion

Kirsten Gillibrand: Abortion is the human right to bodily autonomy

Ms. Gillibrand, long a prominent advocate for issues affecting women, has placed herself at the forefront of the debate, hoping that some primary voters may factor the new measures into their decisions. "Why should male legislators across this country decide when you are having children, how many and under what circumstances?" she asked Sunday, her voice rising. "I don't understand it. It's a human right. It's about having bodily autonomy. It's about being able to control your physical self."

She did not specifically address third-trimester abortions (which account for less than 1.5% of abortions), even when the audience member asked a second time.

Kirsten Gillibrand: Debate is about women's rights, not infanticide

Gillibrand's most explicit pitch went to female voters: "I am the leading presidential candidate on women's rights today," she said. In the last month, Gillibrand rolled out a slate of policies around reproductive rights and women's health. She waded into a congressional Democratic primary, endorsing the challenger to an anti-abortion-rights Democratic House member in Illinois. She was also the first presidential candidate to commit to a litmus test for judicial nominees by pledging only to nominate judges who consider Roe v. Wade as settled precedent.