Hillary Clinton isn’t mincing words on today’s state of abortion access in the U.S., saying that the growing number of restrictions and bans in the aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson “is dystopian.”
“This is ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ writ large,” she said.
Sitting with “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on Friday to discuss the upcoming return of her Clinton Global Initiative, the former secretary of state was asked about the changing tides of pro-life discourse after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“This is driving a lot of people who have associated with the pro-life movement and pro-life feelings their entire life even going, ‘This is extreme. This can’t happen,’” Scarborough said. “How serious is this for women – and let’s just say it: for people who love women – and girls to no longer have any control as a family over what happens?”
“It could not be more serious and more deadly. I have been saying ever since, really, the draft opinion was made public but certainly since the decision, that a very small minority is going to keep pushing this to the extreme, and now we’re seeing it where doctors are intimidated where if they practice their profession, if they do no harm by saving a mother’s life by ending a totally unviable pregnancy, they could go to jail,” Clinton said. “This is dystopian, this is ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ writ large.”
But Clinton also pointed to the silver lining: Such extremism seems to be igniting newfound political action among women, as seen in the referendum in Kansas, the congressional election in Alaska and the special election in New York. “That is why you are seeing so many women register to vote, some for the first time, and so many young people,” she said.
“You know, pro-life means you honor life – and that includes the life of the mother,” Clinton continued. “And it includes, absolutely, making decisions that are in the best interest of women. And so I think this election, this midterm election, is going to have a lot of energy from women and men who don’t want the government, don’t want politicians like [Texas governor Greg] Abbott or someone else coming into their lives, into the intimacy of their relationship, and telling them that they have to carry a child to term that is forced birth, regardless of the circumstances. So it’s a terrible thing. I fear women are going to be harmed and even, unfortunately, die because of this terrible decision, but let’s do what we can to prevent it from causing more harm by voting out people who think they should have control over our lives.”
Watch Clinton’s interview on “Morning Joe” in the video above.
