Hillary Clinton had some tough words for her fellow Democrats for their failure to protect abortion rights in the years leading up to Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court.
In an interview with The New York Times, Clinton, 76, discussed her forthcoming book, "The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America" and what she believed a second Trump administration will look like.
The former Democratic presidential candidate accused her party of being too complacent by underestimating the formidable strength of the pro-life movement in the lead-up to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, when the Supreme Court overturned nearly 50 years of legalized abortion at the federal level.
"We didn’t take it seriously, and we didn’t understand the threat," Clinton said. "Most Democrats, most Americans, did not realize we are in an existential struggle for the future of this country."
Clinton argued that Democrats failed to pass legislation codifying abortion rights into federal law — even when they controlled the Senate — because they could not fathom that abortion rights would ever be at risk.
Clinton said she gave the right credit for never giving up. She lamented that Democrats lacked the organization and funding for institutions like The Federalist Society to counter the right’s influence.
"[The right is] relentless. You know, they take a loss, they get back up, they regroup, they raise more money," Clinton said. "It’s tremendously impressive the way that they operate. And we have nothing like it on our side."
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Clinton said she was dismissed as alarmist when she predicted in 2016, that a Trump presidency would lead to abortion rights being overturned. She predicted that many would dismiss her again this election cycle, which she described as "existential."
"I mean, if we don’t make the right decision in this election in our country, we may never have another actual election," Clinton said. "I will put that out there because I believe it. And if we no longer have another actual election, we will be governed by a small minority of right-wing forces that are well organized and well-funded and are getting exactly what they want in terms of turning the clock back on women."
The interview’s publication comes days after former President Trump said he "will never advocate imposing restrictions on birth control," and vowed to ensure the Republican Party would not support a ban on any contraceptives.
Last month, the GOP hopeful emphasized his support for states determining their own laws for abortion so long as there are exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. He also affirmed his support for in vitro fertilization.
He qualified that Republicans "should always be on the side of the miracle of life and the side of mothers, fathers and their beautiful babies."
President Biden and his re-election campaign have alleged that Trump will support a nationwide abortion ban and put restrictions on contraception.
The latest Fox News Poll shows that the issue of abortion is the biggest single issue among self-described Democrats (24%), suburban women (24%), self-described very liberals (23%), Black voters (17%), those with a college degree (17%), and voters under age 30 (16%).
