Cecile Richards Of Planned Parenthood Calls Trump Ignorant
Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood, had some harsh words for Donald Trump after his debate performance on Wednesday night.
Abortion was finally discussed during the third and final presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The two nominees sparred over late-term abortion, a particularly controversial topic within the realm of reproductive rights.
Trump demonstrated a lack of knowledge about late-term abortion, claiming it happens when babies are "ripped out of the womb" just days before their due dates.
To be clear: This is not a thing that happens.
Richards soundly took him to task in the spin room following the debate. She told Elite Daily,
His ignorance of these issues is profound, as is his lack of understanding of what women face in making these decisions and how important it is for women and their doctors to be able to make decisions about their health and their futures -- and not politicians.
The President of Planned Parenthood, which launched a major ground game in support of Clinton and Senate candidates, said Trump's performance at the debate tonight was an "illustration" of how deeply he fails to understand reproductive health.
Richards praised Clinton's discussion of late-term abortion. She said,
What you saw on that stage tonight is Hillary Clinton speaking with enormous empathy and understanding about the difficult decisions women make about pregnancy.
Clinton's nuanced assertions about abortion were praised around the reproductive rights community. She explained that late-term abortions are rare and happen in "heartbreaking" circumstances, like if there are health risks.
The Democratic nominee added that she has spoken to women around the world who have been forced to make these decisions -- and who have had decisions taken away from them -- and their stories proved to her that governments should not be making decisions for women.
Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said in a statement,
[Clinton] has listened to real stories of real women who have faced these decisions; she has studied the crisis of abortion access, the closure of women's health clinics and the real impact on public health; she focused on the every day issues that affect the majority of people, not hypothetical what ifs.
Late-term abortion is a topic generally avoided by politicians, so it was definitely interesting to see Clinton address it so directly.
Destiny Lopez, co-director of All Above All, said in a statement,
Secretary Clinton talked about abortion in the context of women's lives: the personal decisions women make and the barriers and struggles they face. This is exactly the conversation we need to be having about abortion in this country, one which is rooted in women's experiences.
Clinton has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and NARAL. The election is on November 8.
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