Hillary Clinton condemns Roe v Wade ruling as ‘step backward’ for women’s rights

Hillary Clinton has addressed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade and how it’s a “step backward” for women’s and Americans’ rights.

On Friday, shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling eliminated the constitutional right to get an abortion in the United States, the former secretary of state shared a statement.

“Most Americans believe the decision to have a child is one of the most sacred decisions there is, and that such decisions should remain between patients and their doctors,” she wrote.

“Today’s Supreme Court opinion will live in infamy as a step backward for women’s rights and human rights,” she concluded.

In a follow-up tweet, she added a link to Onward Together, a website where people can financially support women’s abortion rights, following the Roe v Wade overturn. Donations will be sent to three different organisations: Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL, and EMILY’s List.

“Join me today in re-committing to help people access the care they need—and win elections at every level—to protect reproductive freedom for everyone in America,” the former First Lady wrote.

Prior to the Surpreme Court’s ruling, Clinton discussed her concerns for both abotion and women’s right with the overturn of Roe V Wade.

Speaking to CBS Evening News last May, she spoke about how “dangerous” the ruling could be, beyond just abortion laws, as it has an “extreme power” of a women’s personal decisions and body.

“This opinion is dark. It is incredibly dangerous and it is not just about a woman’s right to choose. It is about much more than that,” she said at the time.

“Any American who says, ‘Look, I’m not a woman, this doesn’t affect me. I’m not Black, that doesn’t affect me. I’m not gay, that doesn’t affect me’ — once you allow this kind of extreme power to take hold you have no idea who they will come for next,” she added.

Along with Clinton, Barack Obama shared a tweet on 24 June in response to Roe v Wade’s overturning and how it attacked the “essential freedoms” of Americans everywhere.

“Today, the Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, it relegated the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues—attacking the essential freedoms of millions of Americans,” he wrote.

In a follow up tweet, he included ways in which to respond to the Roe v Wade overturn, such as by joining activist groups like Planned Parenthood and United State of Women. He also praised these groups, along with many others, for “sounding the alarm on this issue for years” and continuing to do “on the front lines of this fight”.

He also noted the importance of voting, on 8 November, at state elections this year, as well as every other election after that.

“Because in the end, if we want judges who will protect all, and not just some, of our rights, then we’ve got to elect official committed to doing the same,” the former US President wrote in a statement.

In another tweet, Obama included a link to a blog post he had written about Roe v Wade, as he said that he saw the overturn of it “coming”. The post, published on 3 May, includes his and his wife’s, Michelle Obama, statement about the Supreme Court’s draft ruling and his thoughts when he first saw it.