Chelsea Clinton said that it would be “un-Christian” to roll back abortion protections granted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade.
“When I think about all of the statistics, that are painful, of what women are confronting today in our country, and what even more women confronted pre-Roe, and how many women died, and how many more women were maimed because of unsafe abortion practices, we just can’t go back to that,” Clinton said during a SiriusXM Town Hall clip uploaded Thursday.
“That’s unconscionable to me. And also, I’m sure that this will unleash another wave of hate in my direction, but as a deeply religious person, it’s also un-Christian to me,” Clinton said.
Clinton’s comments at the progressive event were in response to a question about how she stays motivated to continue advocating for pro-abortion policies, given those who support anti-abortion measures are just as passionate.
“I look at my children and I have to quote Jim [Yong] Kim, ‘optimism is a moral choice,'” Clinton said, referring to the president of the World Bank. “Every day I make the moral choice to be optimistic that my efforts and my energies, particularly when I’m fortunate enough to be in partnership with fellow travelers, hopefully will make a difference.”
Abortion rights have been thrust back into the spotlight amid Brett Kavanaugh’s U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Clinton headlined a “Rise Up For Roe” event in New York City last month in opposition to Kavanaugh’s nomination.
Kavanaugh’s appointment to the highest court in the country would cement the conservative majority on the bench. His confirmation is likely to herald an era in which the 1973 landmark opinion will be narrowly applied to cases before the court.
Watch the clip from Clinton’s appearance below:
