Topics in the News: Contraception
Howie Hawkins on Contraception:
(Abortion Aug 30, 2020)
Health insurance must cover contraception, abortion
Q: Require health plans to cover birth control?Howie Hawkins: Yes. "Contraception and abortion must be included in all health insurance policies in the U.S."
Jo Jorgensen: No.
Click for Howie Hawkins on other issues.
Source: CampusElect on 2020 Third Party presidential candidates
Amy Klobuchar on Contraception:
(Abortion Feb 7, 2020)
Make right to choose the law of the land
I would only appoint judges that would respect precedent and one of those key precedents is Roe v. Wade. In addition, you have got to put it into law. It's going to be really important when you look at the overwhelming public support for funding
Planned Parenthood, for making sure women have access to contraception, to making sure that they have a right to choose, that we make this case strongly and loudly.
Click for Amy Klobuchar on other issues.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Amy Klobuchar on Contraception:
(Abortion Oct 15, 2019)
Public supports contraception and safe abortion
What if Donald Trump was standing on the debate stage with me? I'd say, "In your race for president you said you wanted to put doctors in jail. That is exactly what the Alabama law is. It put doctors in jail for 99 years. You are not on the side of
women. You are not on the side of people of this country when over 75% of people want to keep Roe v. Wade on the book. When over 90% of people want to make sure we have available contraception. You defunded Planned Parenthood. I would fund
Click for Amy Klobuchar on other issues.
Source: October Democratic CNN/NYTimes Primary debate
Beto O`Rourke on Contraception:
(Abortion Jun 24, 2019)
VA must cover full spectrum of women's reproductive care
His plan emphasizes care for female veterans, pledging to "cover the full spectrum of women's reproductive health care, and include the provision of contraception with no out-of-pocket costs, in vitro fertilization without regard to
marital status or sexual orientation, and abortions to the extent they are provided by other federal programs." VA hospitals would also be required to provide free child care.
Click for Beto O`Rourke on other issues.
Source: CNN coverage of 2020 Democratic primary
Joe Sestak on Contraception:
(Abortion Jun 23, 2019)
Enshrine a woman's right to choose, in case Roe overturned
[My priorities include securing] reproductive rights and reproductive health services for all women. - As a Congressman, I voted to make contraception a free preventive service for women.
- I co-sponsored legislation to fund family-planning
programs and help teenagers and rape survivors access emergency contraception.
- I also co-sponsored legislation attempting to reduce adolescent pregnancy, HIV rates, and other sexually transmitted diseases through better sex education programs.
As President, I will urge Congress to finally pass a law enshrining a woman's right to choose an abortion, for that is a decision that should be between a woman and her doctor, and regardless of whether or not the
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, all women across the country must have access to safe and affordable reproductive health care.
Click for Joe Sestak on other issues.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website JoeSestak.com
Amy Klobuchar on Contraception:
(Abortion Jun 9, 2019)
Repeal Hyde Amendment; fund Planned Parenthood
It's not fair that women who don't have as much money, don't have the same choices as women who are wealthy. Those states that have given that right to those women have seen decreases in abortion.
We have choice in our country, but we also make sure that we have reduced the number of abortions because we have contraception available because we funded Planned Parenthood.
Click for Amy Klobuchar on other issues.
Source: CBS Face the Nation 2019 interview
John Hickenlooper on Contraception:
(Abortion Jun 7, 2019)
Fight GOP-controlled legislatures' restrictive abortion laws
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has described recent efforts by GOP-controlled legislatures to pass restrictive abortion laws as "horrific." In response, Hickenlooper unveiled a plan to expand his Colorado Family Planning Initiative, which
provides long-acting reversible contraception, including Intrauterine Devices, to all women above the age of 15 at no cost.
The Colorado program, which Hickenlooper implemented in 2009, helped reduce teen pregnancies by 50 percent and reduced the rate of abortions among teens by nearly 50 percent, according to state health officials.Hickenlooper's new plan would increase
Title X funding by $700 million to fund the contraceptives, which he says would ensure access to low-income individuals. Hickenlooper also supports efforts to reinforce Roe v. Wade with a federal law.
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.
Source: PBS News Hour 2019 coverage of 2020 Democratic primary
John Hickenlooper on Contraception:
(Abortion Mar 31, 2019)
Against fetal heartbeat laws; favors access to contraception
Q: What is your reaction to fetal heartbeat bills?A: I think those laws are unconstitutional. I recognize the difficulty of the question and I empathize with people on both sides. But I've always come down on the side of a woman's right to take care
of her own health care. In Colorado we provided long-acting, reversible contraception. We have reduced teenage pregnancy and teenage abortion by over 60%. I think a woman has to ultimately have the right to make decisions about her own health.
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.
Source: Meet the Press 2019 interviews for 2020 Democratic primary
Andrew Yang on Contraception:
(Abortion Mar 29, 2019)
Support a woman's right to choose, including contraception
Whether to have a child is an immense personal decision. In my view, it is solely up to the woman what course to take. As a society, we should support mothers in ways big and small if they do decide to have children.
I respect the feelings that many Americans have on this issue, and appreciate the values one brings to bear. But it should always be up to the woman what to do.
I have the feeling that if men became pregnant instead of women there would be absolutely no restriction on reproductive rights. As President, I will...- Appoint judges who support a woman's right to choose.
- Support a woman's right to choose in every circumstance and provide resources for planning and contraception.
Click for Andrew Yang on other issues.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website Yang2020.com
John Hickenlooper on Contraception:
(Abortion Mar 20, 2019)
Women have the right control their own health care
I think the vast majority of Americans believe that a woman has the right to control her own health care and that that should be first and foremost sacred and inviolate.
We got $5.2 million per year for five years to provide long-acting reversible contraception, to allow 15- to 25-year-old young women to make sure that if they wanted to have that contraception.
We reduced teenage pregnancy by 60 percent over the last eight years in Colorado.
I would make sure as president that every issue within any state that violated a woman's right to decide her own health care would be met with litigation immediately.
Click for John Hickenlooper on other issues.
Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls
Deb Haaland on Contraception:
(Abortion Oct 9, 2018)
Backs women's right to make their own reproductive decisions
I support a woman's right to choose when and how to have a child, full access to contraception and believe that everyone should have access to affordable healthcare--which means we need to expand access to abortion care.
Far too many rural women, poor women, and women of color simply do not have access to the healthcare they need to stay healthy. I believe that we need to protect access to care, not just choice about that care.
Click for Deb Haaland on other issues.
Source: 2018 NM-1st House campaign website DebForCongress.com
Deb Haaland on Contraception:
(Health Care Sep 9, 2018)
Fight Big Pharma for cheaper prescription drugs
Q: What actions do you advocate to improve the availability, accessibility and quality of health care?A: Protect ObamaCare from the Republican attacks. I believe healthcare is a human right, and so I will fight for Medicare for All.
It's time to end our overpriced, inefficient, and rocky corporate health care system. I will fight Big Pharma for cheaper prescription drugs. I will work to expand access to women's health care -- including abortion and contraception.
Click for Deb Haaland on other issues.
Source: League of Women Voters 2018 House NM-1 Questionnaire
Pope Francis on Contraception:
(Families & Children Jan 19, 2018)
No ideological colonization of contraception & abortion
Speaking about the family and how it's contributed to keeping cultures alive, Pope Francis said that today there are "ideological forms of colonialism, disguised as progress." "Ideological colonization" is a papal shorthand for attempts by Western
governments and NGOs to compel impoverished nations to accept measures such as contraception & abortion as a condition of development assistance. Francis also spoke of the need to "raise our voices" against pressure in favor of the sterilization of
women, which, he said, at times happens without their knowledge.That's a highly sensitive issue in Peru, since former President Alberto Fujimori launched a family planning program in 1996 that involved the sterilization of thousands of women.
Justified at the time by a desire to reduce poverty, the program stirred controversy when many women, mostly members of the country's Amazonian indigenous groups, reported that they had been sterilized without their consent.
Click for Pope Francis on other issues.
Source: CruxNow.com on Foreign Influencers by Inés San Martín
Bernie Sanders on Contraception:
(Families & Children Nov 15, 2016)
Real family values: time with newborn and sick relatives
The right has claimed the mantle of "family values" for far too long. When my Republican colleagues use this term they're usually talking about things like opposing contraception, denying a woman's right to choose, opposing gay rights, and supporting
abstinence-only education. Let me give a somewhat different perspective on family values--on REAL family values.When a mother cannot spend time with her newborn child during the first weeks and months of that baby's life, and is forced back to work
because her employer doesn't offer paid family leave and she can't afford not to work, that is not a family value. That is an attack on everything that a family is supposed to stand for.
When a husband cannot get time off from work to care
for his cancer stricken wife or gravely ill child, that is not a family value. That is an attack on everything that a family is supposed to stand for. And it should be an embarrassment to anyone who claims to speak for family values in this country.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: Our Revolution, by Bernie Sanders, p.235
Michael Bennet on Contraception:
(Abortion Oct 9, 2016)
Classify contraception as preventive care & no moral issue
Q: On Abortion: Should abortion be highly restricted?Bennet: No
Glenn: Yes. Has pledged to ban abortions, with no exceptions. Recently has been more ambiguous. Has pledged to fight for personhood Constitutional amendment, which would effectively
overturn Roe v. Wade, prohibit common forms of birth control, and ban abortions nationwide. More recently has hedged on some of these stands.
Q: On Contraception: Should employers be able to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if they disagree with it morally?
Bennet: No. Classify contraception as preventive care so it is covered by all insurance plans.
Glenn: Unclear.
Supports fetal personhood amendment, which might ban birth control pills & IUDs.
Q: On Healthcare: Should Planned Parenthood be eligible to receive public funds for non-abortion health services?
Bennet: Yes
Glenn: No
Click for Michael Bennet on other issues.
Source: CampusElect Voter Guide to 2016 Colorado Senate race
Ted Cruz on Contraception:
(Government Reform Mar 15, 2016)
Authored 70 Supreme Court briefs & argued 9 cases
Ted Cruz has spent a lifetime fighting to defend the Constitution: 70 Supreme Court briefs authored; 9 arguments in the Supreme Court.Stood for Americans' First Amendment rights against Democrats who sought to repeal our free speech rights.-
Defended Hobby Lobby against Obamacare's contraception mandate.
- Fought and won a landmark victory at the Supreme Court in Medellin v. Texas; protected US sovereignty against 90 foreign nations and the president to ensure the US is not subject to
rulings of the "World Court."
- Led the way to preserve the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Successfully defended the constitutionality of the Texas Ten Commandments monument, winning a 5-4 landmark decision.
-
Successfully defended the Texas schools' moment of silence law in federal district court.
- Galvanized national support for Houston pastors who had been subpoenaed by the City of Houston and forced to turn in their sermons.
Click for Ted Cruz on other issues.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website TedCruz.org
Tim Ryan on Contraception:
(Abortion Jan 27, 2015)
Expand education & access to contraception to avoid abortion
Where government does have the ability to play a significant role [in the abortion debate] is in giving women and families the tools they need to prevent unintended pregnancies by expanding education and access to contraception. We must get past the
ignorance, fear and--yes--discrimination against women that lead to restrictions on contraception and age-appropriate sex education.Only then can we hope to continue to make significant advances in what should be our true, shared objective: reducing
the number of unintended pregnancies, which make up the vast majority of abortions.
During my time in Congress, I have authored and supported many proposals to help women prevent unplanned pregnancies, support prevention education, teach teens about
values and healthy relationships and ensure access to contraception by increasing funding for family planning programs. It is my hope that through these efforts abortions will rarely be necessary.
Click for Tim Ryan on other issues.
Source: OpEd by Tim Ryan in Akron Beacon-Journal
Rand Paul on Contraception:
(Abortion Oct 3, 2014)
Supports "Plan B" morning-after contraception
[During an appearance at the College of Charleston], a young woman in the audience asked if Paul, who sponsored an anti-abortion bill in 2013 that defines life as beginning at fertilization, is opposed to Plan B, the emergency contraception commonly
known as the morning-after pill. A number of social conservatives--plenty of them in Iowa--have condemned the morning-after pill as an on-demand abortion drug, sometimes confusing the contraceptive with RU-486, which can be used to induce abortion.
Noticeably uncomfortable with the question, Paul first gave a terse answer: "I am not opposed to birth control," he said.
After a pause, he elaborated. "That's basically what Plan B is. Plan B is taking two birth control pills in the morning and two in the evening, and I am not opposed to that."
Click for Rand Paul on other issues.
Source: CNN.com 2014 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Cory Booker on Contraception:
(Abortion Jul 1, 2014)
Fix Hobby Lobby: it's not about religious freedom
Cory Booker urged Congress today to pass a law to fight the U.S. Supreme Court's controversial ruling allowing some religious-leaning companies to refuse paying for insurance coverage for contraception under ObamaCare.
Booker vowed to work with fellow Democrats in Congress to draft legislation that would "fix" the ruling.The nation's highest court voted 5-4 on Monday that companies with religious objections can dodge the requirement to pay for insurance coverage
for contraception under Obama's Affordable Care Act, saying it violates a federal law protecting religious freedom. The ruling favored art-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby, among about 50 companies to sue over the ObamaCare requirement.
Booker is running for re-election this year against Republican challenger Jeff Bell, who--like other GOP leaders--praised Monday's ruling.
Click for Cory Booker on other issues.
Source: Newark Star-Ledger on 2014 New Jersey Senate race
Rand Paul on Contraception:
(Abortion Jun 30, 2014)
Supports religious freedom to deny contraceptive coverage
Sen. Paul today issued the following statement after the Supreme Court's ruling sided with Hobby Lobby on the contraception mandate: "Today, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious freedom by taking a stand with Hobby Lobby. Religious liberty will
remain intact and all Americans can stay true to their faith without fear of big government intervention or punishment," Sen. Paul said. "Our nation was founded on the principle of freedom, and with this decision, America will continue to serve as a safe
haven for those looking to exercise religious liberty."BACKGROUND: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby is a landmark Supreme Court decision allowing corporations to be exempt from providing contraception in their healthcare plan, if its owners religiously object,
and there is a less restrictive means of furthering the law's interest. It is the first time that the court has recognized a for-profit corporation's claim of religious belief. The decision is an interpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Click for Rand Paul on other issues.
Source: 2014 official Senate press release, "Hobby Lobby"
Kamala Harris on Contraception:
(Health Care Nov 26, 2013)
Companies should provide contraception under ObamaCare
Kamala Harris is attacking company owners whose religious beliefs may be at odds with stipulations found in ObamaCare. Harris' office filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to review whether businesses can be exempt from providing contraception coverage.
Specifically, she's attacking businesses where owners may disagree with specific contraception types for religious reasons:"Under the ACA, all Americans have the right to access affordable, quality healthcare, including contraception.
For-profit companies should not be able to deny women access to healthcare based on the religious beliefs of the company's owners. The 10th circuit ruling should be reversed by the US Supreme Court."
The list of ObamaCare exemptions includes one on
religion: anyone who is "conscientiously opposed to accepting any insurance benefits," which some say includes Muslim groups. This portion of the law was apparently written specifically for the Amish, but it may play a role in the fight over ObamaCare.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: Inquisitr.com coverage of 2015 California Senate race
John Kasich on Contraception:
(Families & Children Jul 1, 2013)
De-fund all family planning centers that discuss abortion
Kasich signed a bill that merges his party's anti-contraception and anti-abortion agendas into one. The budget bill packs a one-two-three punch of making it harder for women to prevent pregnancies, harder for women to terminate pregnancies, and harder
for low-income women to keep their babies. HB59 has a bunch of severe anti-abortion riders on it, including a mandatory ultrasound. The defunding of contraception services in the state may manage to do even more damage to women's health than the
abortion restrictions.
Family planning centers will now basically not be able to get any funding at all for contraception services, even if they don't provide abortion. Merely making abortion referrals, which all medically respectable clinics do,
is enough to make your clinic last priority for funding. And it's not just contraception providers that are hurt by acknowledging that abortion exists. If a rape crisis center counsels a woman who asks about abortion, they will also be defunded.
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: Slate.com on Ohio legislative records: House Bill 59
Eric Swalwell on Contraception:
(Abortion Nov 6, 2012)
Full access to contraception & reproductive health services
I am 100% pro-choice and support the right of women to have full access to contraception and reproductive health services.
I also support passage of the Violence Against Women Act and I support equal pay for equal work.
Click for Eric Swalwell on other issues.
Source: 2012 House campaign website, swalwellforcongress.com
Kirsten Gillibrand on Contraception:
(Abortion Oct 17, 2012)
Majority of women use contraception; it's not "evil"
The anti-abortion Long spoke out against President Obama's mandate that religious employers who provide worker health insurance cover birth control, with limited exemptions.
Long called it a threat to religious liberties to require people of faith and religious institutions who view abortion and contraception as 'evil' to include them in insurance coverage."
Gillibrand shot back that the overwhelming majority of women use some type of contraception. "To say that's evil shows a
disregard for the ability of a woman to make that personal life and death decision about her own body and her family," she said.
Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues.
Source: New York Daily News on 2012 N. Y. Senate debate
Barack Obama on Contraception:
(Abortion Oct 16, 2012)
ObamaCare asks insurance companies to provide contraceptives
In my health care bill, I said insurance companies need to provide contraceptive coverage to everybody who is insured. Because this is not just a health issue, it's an economic issue for women. It makes a difference. This is money out of that family's
pocket. Romney not only opposed it, he suggested that in fact employers should be able to make the decision as to whether or not a woman gets contraception through her insurance coverage. That's not the kind of advocacy that women need.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: Second Obama-Romney 2012 debate
Joe Biden on Contraception:
(Abortion Oct 11, 2012)
No church needs to provide contraception under ObamaCare
RYAN: Look at what they're doing through "Obamacare" with respect to assaulting the religious liberties of this country. They're infringing upon our first freedom, the freedom of religion, by infringing on Catholic charities,
Catholic churches, Catholic hospitals. Our church should not have to sue our federal government to maintain their religious liberties.BIDEN: No religious institution,
Catholic or otherwise, including any hospital--none has to refer contraception. None has to pay for contraception. None has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact.
RYAN: If they agree with you, then why would they keep suing you? It's a distinction without a difference.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: 2012 Vice Presidential debate
Elizabeth Warren on Contraception:
(Civil Rights Oct 11, 2012)
We need a reliable vote for equal pay for equal work
As in their previous two debates, Warren cast Brown as an unreliable vote on women's issues, though she did so more crisply than before. In a direct appeal to women, she said that when Brown had the chance to vote for equal pay for equal work, he voted
no; when he had the chance to vote for employers and insurers to pay for coverage for contraception, he voted no; when he had the chance to vote for a Supreme Court justice who supported abortion rights, he voted no. "The women of
Massachusetts need a senator they can count on--not some of the time but all of the time," she said. Whether abortion remains legal, she said, "may hang in the balance." Brown shot back that "I didn't vote for your boss," a reference to
Justice Elena Kagan, who was dean of the Harvard Law School. He said Kagan didn't have the requisite judicial experience.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.
Source: N.Y. Times on 2012 Mass. Senate debates
Kirsten Gillibrand on Contraception:
(Abortion Mar 5, 2012)
Require coverage of contraception, even church employees
Gillibrand immediately sought to define Long based on her views on abortion. Long is pro-life and Gillibrand is staunchly pro-choice; the senator's spokesman attacked Long as "far out of step with our state."The women also differ on a recent plan,
announced by the Obama administration, to require coverage of contraception. Originally Obama mandated that all employers--including some religious hospitals that may have a moral objection--provide contraception coverage in their insurance plans.
After pressure, Obama amended the regulations to require health insurers provide the coverage without employers that object to it paying.
Republicans last week attempted to pass a measure, dubbed the Blunt Amendment, which would allow employers
a "conscience" exemption. Long said she would support it, and attacked Gillibrand's vigorous opposition to it.
"She supports Obama's enforcement of their view on religious institutions & people of conscience who would have a problem with it," Long said
Click for Kirsten Gillibrand on other issues.
Source: Capitol Confidential on 2012 N. Y. Senate debate
Barack Obama on Contraception:
(Abortion Feb 12, 2012)
Insurers must provide contraception, but not employers
For days, Obama had been hammered over a regulation in the health-care law that required religiously affiliated hospitals & universities to provide birth control for their female employees even if that conflicted with church teachings.This week, he
tried to end the debate with what he called an "accommodation." The employees still will be offered free birth-control coverage, but the benefit will come directly from their insurers, and no religious groups' money will be used.
The question now is whether the maneuver will tamp down the political fire. He appeared to have made progress, winning over the Catholic hospital association and Catholic Charities--although not the nation's bishops.
Evidence suggests that insurers
will comply because providing birth-control coverage reduces overall costs (birth control is much cheaper than pregnancy). Obama waded into the details of the dispute himself and personally crafted the solution.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: Christi Parsons in Philadelphia Inquirer, "Birth Control"
Barack Obama on Contraception:
(Abortion Apr 13, 2008)
Teach teens about abstinence and also about contraception
We’ve actually made progress over the last several years in reducing teen pregnancies, for example. And what I have consistently talked about is to take a comprehensive approach where we focus on abstinence, where we are teaching the sacredness
of sexuality to our children.But we also recognize the importance of good medical care for women, that we’re also recognizing the importance of age-appropriate education to reduce risks. I do believe that contraception has to be part of that education
process.
And if we do those things, then I think that we can reduce abortions and I think we should make sure that adoption is an option for people out there. If we put all of those things in place, then I think we will take some of the edge off the
debate.
We’re not going to completely resolve it. At some point, there may just be an irreconcilable difference. And those who are opposed to abortion, I think, should continue to be able to lawfully object and try to change the laws.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College
Barack Obama on Contraception:
(Families & Children Apr 13, 2008)
Teach both abstinence and contraception to teens
Q: In talking about your own daughters and talking about sex education and contraception, you made the jarring comment that you would not want your daughter “punished with a baby” if she made a mistake. Could you explain what you meant?A:
Keep in mind, on that same day, I said children are miracles. What I was saying was that my daughters are 9 & 6. And so if, at the age of 12 or 13, they made what I would consider to be a mistake, in having unprotected sex, and ended up getting pregnant.
And so all I meant was we want to prevent teen pregnancies. And what we don’t want to do is to be blind to the possibility that kids will screw up, just like, surprisingly enough, we as adults screw up sometimes. We want to make sure that, even as we are
teaching responsible sexuality and we are teaching abstinence to children, that we are also making sure that they’ve got enough understanding about contraception that they don’t end up having much more severe problems because of a dumb mistake.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College
Barack Obama on Contraception:
(Abortion Feb 2, 2008)
Expand access to contraception; reduce unintended pregnancy
AT A GLANCE- Reproductive Choice: Obama has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving a women’s right to choose under Roe v. Wade a priority as president. Obama also supports expanded access to
contraception, health information and preventive services to reduce unintended pregnancies.
OBAMA’S PLAN- Protecting a Women’s Right to Choose: Obama will make safeguarding women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority. He opposes
any constitutional amendment to overturn that decision.
- Reducing Unintended Pregnancy: Obama will work to reduce unintended pregnancy by guaranteeing equity in contraceptive coverage, providing sex education, and offering rape victims accurate
information about emergency contraception.
OBAMA RECORD- Throughout his career, in both the Illinois Senate & the US Senate, Obama has stood up for a women’s right to choose, consistently earning 100% ratings from pro-choice groups.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: Campaign booklet, “Blueprint for Change”, p. 35-36
Hillary Clinton on Contraception:
(Abortion Jun 5, 2007)
1993:Early action on abortion rights ended Right’s dominance
On the 4th day of the Clinton presidency, Jan. 23, the 20th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Bill Clinton signed a series of executive orders undoing the draconian policies of the Reagan-Bush era relating to abortion, contraception, and family planning.
Hillary had pushed unequivocally for the orders, but Bill’s pollster argued that she was dead wrong on the timing of such a hot-button issue; by acting on abortion policy as one of the administration’s first pieces of business, the president and, worse,
Hillary, would be perceived as governing from the left. But Hillary regarded the prohibitions in question as a powerful symbol of Reagan-era policies, and an opportunity to declare boldly that the Clinton era had begun.
The milestone anniversary of
Roe v. Wade, in Hillary’s view, was the perfect opportunity to move the new presidency on course unambiguously in terms of women’s rights, signal the religious right that its decade of dominance in regard to suc personal questions was over.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: A Woman in Charge, by Carl Bernstein, p.256-257
Hillary Clinton on Contraception:
(Abortion Oct 11, 2006)
Prevention First Act: federal funds for contraception
In 2006 Hillary teamed up with nominally pro-life Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and pushed to increase federal funding to abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood in order to “increase awareness” about unintended pregnancies.Senator
Clinton co-wrote an editorial with Reid titled, “Abortion Debate Shuns Prevention.” The piece said, “As two senators on opposite sides of the abortion debate, we recognize that one side will not suddenly convince the other to drop its deeply held beliefs
And we believe that, while disagreeing, we can work together to find common ground.“
The ”common ground,“ was, once again, increased government--in this case government programs to promote contraception. The Prevention First Act, as they named it,
would increase accessibility and ”awareness and understanding“ of emergency contraception. They aimed to ensure that sex education programs have medically accurate information about contraception and ”end insurance discrimination against women.“
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, by Amanda Carpenter, p. 96-97
Page last updated: Feb 28, 2022
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