During the third and final presidential debate between nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the topic of abortion became a hot issue. Republican nominee Trump is pro-life while the Democratic Clinton vows to vigorously defend a women’s right to make her own health care choices without the government stepping in.
When pressed for an answer by moderator Chris Wallace, Trump would not directly state whether he would overturn Roe v. Wade. He did say he would nominate pro-life judges to the Supreme Court, in hopes that they would. Trump was especially vocal regarding late-term pregnancies, implying that should a woman choose to abort her pregnancy, the fetus would essentially be ripped out of her womb. It is not clear whether Trump was painting such a gruesome picture merely for shock value or if he truly believes this is how abortions are performed. Such erroneous misconceptions only highlight why a woman and her doctor should be making these medical decisions.
Hillary Clinton has spent much of her political career addressing the topic of women’s rights. In response to Trumps statements, Clinton points out that she voted against banning late-term abortions after hearing from many mothers who were forced to make that heart-wrenching decision. She met women who in their last trimester discovered their baby would be born with a life-threatening defect and would not survive. Clinton was touched by stories of expectant mothers forced to end their pregnancy because carrying to term would put their own life at risk. These are devastating, personal decisions that Clinton feels the government should have no part in making for any woman.
Trump may have a strong opinion regarding abortion, but he will never understand how this can affect a woman, both emotionally and physically. Hillary Clinton, through her years in the political arena, has personally witnessed how restrictive reproduction policies can leave a woman feeling victimized. Clinton points out horrendous government controlled practices from other countries. For instance, China forces abortions on their women and the Romanian government forces women to make babies. She strongly believes these types of laws are detrimental to our country. Clinton vows to make sure these practices have no place in the United States by continuing to fight for Planned Parenthood and a woman’s reproductive autonomy.
The topic of abortion has always led to heated discussions between conservatives and liberals. However, we now have a woman presidential candidate crusading on behalf of women’s rights. Hillary Clinton brings a very real, personal aspect to abortion rights during this election season. She is able to connect to women about women’s issues in a way no man has ever been able to do. Donald Trump will never truly understand the impact restrictive abortion laws will have on any woman.