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2016 presidential candidates on abortion

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See below what the 2016 presidential candidates and their respective party platforms said about abortion rights.

OVERVIEW OF CANDIDATE POSITIONS
  • Hillary Clinton expressed support for abortion rights, funding Planned Parenthood, and reconsidering the 1973 Helms Amendment, which prohibits the use of foreign assistance funds for abortion.
  • Donald Trump opposed abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life.
  • Jill Stein supported abortion rights and opposed Texas House Bill 2, which required doctors who performed abortions to have hospital admitting privileges at a facility within 30 miles of where an abortion was performed, among other restrictions.
  • Gary Johnson expressed support for abortion rights and called Texas House Bill 2 "an affront to women's rights."

    • Democratic ticket

    Democratic Party Hillary Clinton

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    • In the third and final presidential debate on October 19, 2016, Hillary Clinton said, "I will defend Planned Parenthood. I will defend Roe v. Wade, and I will defend women's rights to make their own health care decisions."[1]
      • She also discussed her vote against banning late-term abortions, saying, "The kinds of cases that fall at the end of pregnancy are often the most heartbreaking, painful decisions for families to make. I have met with women who toward the end of their pregnancy get the worst news one could get, that their health is in jeopardy if they continue to carry to term or that something terrible has happened or just been discovered about the pregnancy. I do not think the United States government should be stepping in and making those most personal of decisions. So you can regulate if you are doing so with the life and the health of the mother taken into account."[1]
      • Clinton concluded that the government should not make reproductive decisions for women. "I've been to countries where governments either forced women to have abortions, like they used to do in China, or forced women to bear children, like they used to do in Romania. And I can tell you: The government has no business in the decisions that women make with their families in accordance with their faith, with medical advice. And I will stand up for that right," she said.[1]
    • On June 29, 2016, in an op-ed arguing that New Hampshire’s Executive Council should vote to fund Planned Parenthood, Clinton promised that as president she would “make sure that a woman’s right to make her own health decisions remains as permanent as all of the other values we hold dear.” She wrote that she would always fund and support Planned Parenthood, “fight to protect access to safe and legal abortion,” and “support comprehensive, inclusive sex education.” She also criticized Trump’s stance on women’s healthcare, writing, “Donald Trump doesn’t think much about women’s health at all. But when pressed, he’s said that women ought to face ‘some form of punishment’ for having an abortion. He’s already released a list of the right-wing judges he’d consider for the Supreme Court – many of whom are committed to overturning Roe v. Wade. And he’s pledged to defund Planned Parenthood – an effort that would effectively try to spread the Executive Council’s actions to all 50 states.”[2]
    • On June 27, 2016, after the United States Supreme Court struck down two provisions in Texas House Bill 2 that regulated abortion, Clinton’s campaign released the following statement: “Today’s Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt ruling is a major victory in the fight for our right to access health care, to make our own decisions about our bodies, and to decide our own futures. But the fight is far from over. … But the current political battle being waged over filling the current vacant seat on the Supreme Court—and the fact that our next president could appoint as many as three or four justices in the next four years—are striking reminders that we can’t take rulings like today’s for granted. Just consider Donald Trump, the Republicans’ presumptive nominee. The man who could be president has said there should be some form of “punishment” for women seeking abortions. He pledged to appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. And last year, he said he’d shut down the government rather than fund Planned Parenthood. If we send Trump to the White House and a Republican majority to Congress, he could achieve any—or all—of these things. And that’s why this election is so important. The outcome of November’s contests, from the presidency to state legislatures, is going to be a deciding factor in whether our elected officials and our courts defend or attack a woman’s right to health care for generations to come.”[3]
    • In an interview on April 3, 2016, with NBC’s Chuck Todd, Hillary Clinton discussed her position on if and when fetuses have constitutional rights. “Well, under our laws currently, that is not something that exists. The unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights. Now, that doesn't mean that we don't do everything we possibly can in the vast majority of instances to, you know, help a mother who is carrying a child and wants to make sure that child will be healthy, to have appropriate medical support,” Clinton said. She continued, “It doesn't mean that you don't do everything possible to try to fulfill your obligations. But it does not include sacrificing the woman's right to make decisions.”[4]
    • Hillary Clinton said on November 22, 2015, that the 1973 Helms Amendment, which prohibits the use of foreign assistance funds for abortion, should be reconsidered in conflict zones where rape is used as a weapon of war. She said if a woman cannot be provided with access to abortion, "then we have to help them in every other way and to get other people to at least provide the options. … They will be total outcasts if they have the child of a terrorist or the child of a militia member. Their families won't take them, their communities won't take them."[5]
    • In an extensive interview with The Des Moines Register on September 23, 2015, Clinton said, “The Republicans have made it clear in recent years that they are not only opposed to abortion, which they have been for quite some time. They’re increasingly opposed to family planning and contraception. This is a direct assault on a woman’s right to choose health care. Forget about abortion, which is something that a limited number of Planned Parenthood facilities perform, with not a penny of federal money.”[6]
    • During a September 2015 interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Clinton declined to respond to Carly Fiorina's challenge to watch all of the footage released by the Center for Medical Progress about Planned Parenthood. Instead, Clinton focused on the Republican effort to defund Planned Parenthood and the possible government shutdown. She said, "I would hope that the Republicans — and particularly the Republicans in the House, led by Speaker (John) Boehner — would not put our country and our economy in peril pursuing some kind of emotionally, politically charged, partisan attack on Planned Parenthood to shut our government down. I think that would be a very, very unfortunate decision. ...If they want to shut down the legal provision of abortion services, then they've got a bigger problem, because obviously Planned Parenthood does not use federal dollars to do that."[7]
    • Clinton likened Republican views on women's rights to those of terror groups at an Ohio rally on August 27, 2015. She said, "Now, extreme views about women, we expect that from people who don't want to live in the modern world. But it's a little hard to take coming from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States." This generated responses from Republican candidates and the Republican National Committee (RNC).[8]
    • Clinton released a two-minute video on August 3, 2015, stating, “Republicans like Scott Walker and Jeb Bush are calling to defund Planned Parenthood, the country’s leading provider of reproductive healthcare, and they are joined by Republicans in Congress who will not waste a minute in voting to make that happen. If this feels like a full-on assault on women’s health, that’s because it is."[9]
    • In 2005, Clinton advocated abstinence counseling and family planning to reduce unintended pregnancies and access to morning-after emergency contraception for victims of sexual assault. She said, "We can all recognize that abortion in many ways represents a sad, even tragic choice to many, many women. The fact is that the best way to reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies in the first place."[10]
    • As a senator, Clinton was given a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.[11]

    Democratic Party Tim Kaine

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    • Tim Kaine discussed abortion rights and his Catholic faith in a September 16, 2016, interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep. Kaine said that he has consistently supported parental consent if a minor seeks an abortion. He continued, "But you need to provide a mechanism if the child is in abusive relationship or something like that, where there can be a court hearing to determine whether the youngster is, you know, basically mature enough to make that choice on her own. That's a rule that a lot of groups, you know, wish was not in place. I supported it. I haven't really changed my view on that. I really basically support the holding of Roe v. Wade, which says, especially early in pregnancy, women get to make this decision on their own. Government can't burden that choice. But Roe v. Wade did acknowledge that there can be some rules. And there have been some rules that I've supported but others I've opposed."[15]
    • Tim Kaine expressed support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the funding of abortion services with federal taxpayer money, in an interview that aired on CNN on July 31, 2016. When asked to explain why Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said a week earlier that he would “stand with Secretary Clinton to defend a woman's right to choose, to repeal the Hyde Amendment," Kaine said, “That is not accurate and I don't think Robby has said that.”[16]
    • Kaine received 100 percent "pro-choice" ratings from NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood. He has voted against abortion restrictions, including "a ban on public funding for elective abortion under the Affordable Care Act and a ban on most abortions after the fifth month of pregnancy."[17][18]
    • Kaine discussed the balance between his personal opposition to abortion and his public policy record in favor of legalized abortion in an interview on "Meet the Press" on June 26, 2016, saying, "I would say people use labels all the time, but I'm kind of a traditional Catholic: Personally I'm opposed to abortion, and personally I'm opposed to the death penalty." He continued, "I deeply believe—and not just as a matter of politics, but even as a matter of morality—that matters about reproduction and intimacy and relationships and contraception are in the personal realm. They're moral decisions for individuals to make for themselves. And the last thing we need is government intruding into those personal decisions."[19]

    Republican ticket

    Republican Party Donald Trump

    caption
    • On September 19, 2016, Donald Trump announced that he had appointed Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, as the chair of his national “Pro-Life Coalition.” In a letter to anti-abortion leaders, Trump announced the appointment and outlined his views on abortion, which included “Nominating pro-life justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, signing into law the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act … defunding Planned Parenthood … making the Hyde Amendment permanent law.”
    • The New York Times Magazine published a profile of Trump on May 18, 2016, covering the changes in his presidential campaign over several months. Trump discussed his statement that women should be punished for having abortions. He said, “I didn’t mean punishment for women like prison. I’m saying women punish themselves. I didn’t want people to think in terms of ‘prison’ punishment. And because of that I walked it back.”[20]
    • Trump said on April 21, 2016, that he would “absolutely” change the Republican Party platform opposing abortion to include exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.[21]
    • During a town hall on March 30, 2016, hosted by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Trump said that “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions if abortion is criminalized. Shortly after the remarks were made public, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks released the following statement from Trump: “This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination. Like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions, which I have outlined numerous times." Trump issued a second statement on Wednesday evening, stating, "If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.”[22][23][24]
    • Read more of Donald Trump's public statements on abortion.

    Republican Party Mike Pence

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    • During a town hall in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in July 2016, Mike Pence said, “I’m pro-life and I don’t apologize for it. We’ll see Roe vs. Wade consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs,” should Trump win the election.[26]
    • In 2007, 2009, and 2011, Pence introduced legislation that proposed prohibiting "the Secretary of Health and Human Service (HHS) from providing any federal family planning assistance to an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of such assistance, the entity will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion." The legislation excluded abortions where the pregnancy was the result of rape, incest, or danger to the mother.[27][28][29]
    • In February 2011, Pence said, "If Planned Parenthood wants to be involved in providing counseling services and HIV testing, they ought not be in the business of providing abortions. As long as they aspire to do that, I’ll be after them."[30]
    • In November 2009, Pence voted in favor of an amendment seeking to prohibit "federal funds for abortion services in the public option" and "individuals who receive affordability credits from purchasing a plan that provides elective abortions."[31]

    Green ticket

    Green Party Jill Stein

    Jill-Stein-circle.png
    • On June 27, 2016, after the United States Supreme Court struck down two provisions in Texas House Bill 2 that regulated abortion, Jill Stein posted the following tweet: “I applaud #SCOTUS decision to uphold a woman's right to access a safe abortion. A woman's right to choose is a non-negotiable human right.”[33]
    • In response to the 2012 Political Courage Test by VoteSmart, Jill Stein stated, "Real choice must include more than the choice of whether or not to have an abortion, and must begin with an informed choice about preventing unintended pregnancy. By providing all women with reproductive health care and family planning, as part of a program of health care as a human right, we can greatly reduce the need for abortion. Giving women real choices for education opportunities and good paying jobs will also reduce unintended pregnancies. Abortion is a necessary health care option, but will decline as women's choices expand upstream of unwanted pregnancy."[34]

    Green Party Ajamu Baraka

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    • During the 2016 vice presidential debate on October 4, 2016, Baraka took to Twitter to express his views on abortion rights. He tweeted, "Women have a fundamental right over their bodies, their sexuality and everything else."[37]
    • On October 4, 2016, Baraka also tweeted, "We cannot have a situation in this country where women are criminalized over the determination of their bodies."[38]
    • Read more about Ajamu Baraka.




    Libertarian ticket

    Libertarian Party Gary Johnson

    Gary-Johnson-(New Mexico)-circle.png
    • In an interview with The Daily Caller on June 7, 2016, Gary Johnson discussed abortion and other domestic policy issues. He said, “I don’t even want to enter into the argument. I want to give women choice in dealing with that issue, period. Unbelievably difficult decision. I’m going to make it for a woman? Government’s going to make it for a woman? I don’t want to play a part in that role.”[39]
    • Johnson discussed abortion and Texas House Bill 2, which required that doctors who perform abortions have hospital admitting privileges at a facility within 30 miles of where an abortion is performed and that abortion facilities meet the same requirements as outpatient surgery centers, in an interview with The Texas Tribune on April 12, 2016. Johnson said, “I think it’s an affront to women’s rights. Abortion is an unbelievably difficult decision that anyone should have to make. But only a woman should make it.”[40]
    • During the Libertarian Party debate that aired on Fox Business Network on April 1, 2016, Johnson said he was in favor of legalized abortion.[41]
    • On his 2012 presidential campaign website, Johnson wrote, "Life is precious and must be protected. A woman should be allowed to make her own decisions during pregnancy until the point of viability of a fetus." Johnson also stated that stem cell research "should only be completed by private laboratories that operate without federal funding."[42]
    • In June 2011, Johnson expressed support for some abortion rights in an interview with Rolling Stone. He said, "I support women’s rights to choose up until viability of the fetus. I’ve supported the notion of parental notification. I’ve supported counseling and I’ve supported the notion that public funds not be used for abortions. But I don’t want for a second to pretend that I have a better idea of how a woman should choose when it comes to this situation. Fundamentally this is a choice that a woman should have."[43]
    • Read more of Gary Johnson's public statements on abortion.

    Libertarian Party Bill Weld

    William-Weld-circle.png
    • During a Libertarian candidate town hall on CNN on June 22, 2016, Gary Johnson and Bill Weld were asked, "[W]hat do you view as the federal government's role in ensuring a woman's right to choose in every state? Weld replied, "But I think it's OK for the government to be involved in ensuring clinic access, because that's guarding a fundamental constitutional right of the individual. So that's not the nanny state; that's good government, not bad government."[45]
    • During the 1992 Republican convention, Weld said in a speech, "I happen to think that individual freedom should extend to a woman’s right to choose. I want the government out of your pocketbook and your bedroom."[46]

    Withdrawn candidates

    Democrats

    Republicans

    Recent news

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    2016 Presidential Candidates on Abortion News Feed

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Washington Post, "The final Trump-Clinton debate transcript, annotated," October 19, 2016
    2. ↑ Concord Monitor, "Today’s Planned Parenthood vote shows what’s at stake this election," June 29, 2016
    3. ↑ HillaryClinton.com, "The Supreme Court just handed down a major abortion ruling. We can’t take this victory for granted." June 27, 2016
    4. ↑ RealClearPolitics, "Chuck Todd to Hillary Clinton: 'When Or If Does An Unborn Child Have Constitutional Rights?'," April 3, 2016
    5. ↑ CNN Politics, "Clinton on rape, abortion in war zones," November 23, 2015
    6. ↑ The Washington Post, "Hillary: Republicans don’t just oppose abortion. They oppose family planning and contraception," September 23, 2015
    7. ↑ CNN.com, "Clinton rushes to Planned Parenthood's defense amid shutdown talk," accessed September 19, 2015
    8. ↑ New York Times, "Hillary Clinton Likens Republican Views on Women to Those of Terror Groups," August 27, 2015
    9. ↑ YouTube, "Hillary Clinton: Support and Stand with Planned Parenthood," August 3, 2015
    10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 New York Times, “Clinton Seeking Shared Ground Over Abortions," January 25, 2005
    11. ↑ NARAL.org, “Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY)," accessed December 17, 2014
    12. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.1997," accessed February 2, 2015
    13. ↑ Democratic Party, "The 2016 Democratic Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
    15. ↑ NPR, "VP Pick Tim Kaine's Stand On Abortion Is At Odds With Catholic Teachings," September 16, 2016
    16. ↑ CNN, "Kaine breaks with Clinton on abortion provision," August 1, 2016
    17. ↑ CNN, "Tim Kaine describes 'very emotional moment' of Hillary Clinton's DNC speech," July 29, 2016
    18. ↑ The Hill, "Pro-abortion rights groups give Kaine nod of approval," July 22, 2016
    19. ↑ Philly.com, “10 things you should know about Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's new running mate,” July 22, 2016
    20. ↑ The New York Times, "Mr. Trump's Wild Ride," May 18, 2016
    21. ↑ CNN, "Trump: I would change GOP platform on abortion,"
    22. ↑ CNN, "Donald Trump's 3 positions on abortion in 3 hours," March 31, 2016
    23. ↑ The New York Times, "Donald Trump, Abortion Foe, Eyes 'Punishment' for Women, then Recants," March 30, 2016
    24. ↑ MSNBC, "Full Transcript: MSNBC Town Hall with Donald Trump Moderated By Chris Matthews," March 30, 2016
    25. ↑ Republican Party, "The 2016 Republican Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
    26. ↑ Conservative Daily Post, "MIKE PENCE: “WE’RE OVER-RULING THAT SUPREME COURT CASE,” July 29, 2016
    27. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.4133," accessed April 2, 2015
    28. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.614," accessed April 2, 2015
    29. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.R.217," accessed April 2, 2015
    30. ↑ Politico, "Mike Pence’s war on Planned Parenthood," accessed April 2, 2015
    31. ↑ Congress.gov, "H.Amdt.509 to H.R.3962," accessed April 2, 2015
    32. ↑ Congress.gov, "S.3," accessed April 2, 2015
    33. ↑ Twitter, "Dr. Jill Stein," June 27, 2016
    34. ↑ VoteSmart, "Jill Stein's Issue Positions," accessed July 7, 2015
    35. ↑ Jill Stein for President, "Issues," accessed July 6, 2015
    36. ↑ Green Party, "The 2016 Green Party Platform on Social Justice," accessed August 23, 2016
    37. ↑ Twitter, "Ajamu Baraka," October 4, 2016
    38. ↑ Twitter, "Ajamu Baraka," October 4, 2016
    39. ↑ The Daily Caller, "Libertarian Gary Johnson Angling For Disaffected Bernie Sanders Supporters," June 7, 2016
    40. ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Libertarian Eyes a Third-Party Presidential Chance," April 12, 2016
    41. ↑ Examiner.com, "Libertarian Party presidential debate was last night, follow up next week," April 2, 2016
    42. ↑ Archive.org, "Gary Johnson 2012: Civil Liberties," accessed January 9, 2016
    43. ↑ Rolling Stone, "Meet Gary Johnson, the GOP's Invisible Candidate," June 15, 2011
    44. ↑ Libertarian Party, "The 2016 Libertarian Party Platform," accessed August 23, 2016
    45. ↑ CNN, "Transcript: CNN Libertarian Town Hall moderated by Chris Cuomo," June 22, 2016
    46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 CNN, "Massachusetts," accessed September 19, 2016
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