Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in an interview for a forthcoming book, made some of her strongest remarks yet on the fall of Roe v. Wade, arguing that the Democratic Party had underestimated the anti-abortion movement.
Before the June release of the book “The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America,” Clinton told the New York Times that Democrats believed the court system and legal precedents would protect abortion rights – until until the Supreme Court of the United States decides. ruled in 2022 that these rights were not protected by the Constitution.
“We didn’t take it seriously and we didn’t understand the threat,” Clinton, the party’s 2016 presidential nominee, told the Times. “Most Democrats, most Americans, failed to realize that we were engaged in an existential struggle for the future of this country.”
“We could have done more to fight,” she added.
The book, written by Times journalists Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer, explores the decades-long effort to dismantle Roe v. Wade and the ramifications of his disappearance.
During the interview, Clinton lamented that Democrats were “taken by surprise” by the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. She argued that she has never been complacent about the possibility of a conservative-led Supreme Court overturning Roe.
“One thing I give them credit for is that they never give up,” she told the Times. “They’re relentless. You know, they take a loss. They get back up. They regroup. They raise more money.”
“The way they operate is extremely impressive,” she continued. “And we have nothing like that on our side.”
Since the fall of Roe, Democrats have benefited in elections across the country, with many independents and even some Republicans supporting ballot measures protecting abortion rights. And Democratic candidates performed much better than expected in the 2022 midterm elections, in part because they supported abortion rights, a position largely in line with suburban voters who have shifted dramatically of a Republican Party now controlled by former President Donald Trump.
Democrats plan to use that issue against Trump this year, telling voters that it is his Supreme Court nominations that have now caused a patchwork of abortion laws across the country — with some states enacting near bans. abortion restrictions and others expanding access.
Trump has sought to moderate his views on the issue. He criticized Arizona’s near-total ban on abortion, which has since been repealed by lawmakers.
But Clinton warns that conservative efforts to further restrict abortion will not abate.
“More people need to wake up because this is the beginning,” she told the Times. “They really want us to shut up and go home. That’s their goal.”
businessinsider
