ICYMI: Hillary Clinton’s Support for Planned Parenthood Wins The Night
For Immediate Release: Oct. 20, 2016
Las Vegas, NV — Hillary Clinton was the clear winner of last night’s debate, showing again and again why she is the only choice for president. But her best moment, according to a CNN focus group of undecided voters in the critical battleground state of Nevada, was her full-throated support for Planned Parenthood and abortion rights.
Transcript:
Wolf Blitzer: Let's take a look at Hillary Clinton's most liked moment.
Hillary Clinton: I will defend Planned Parenthood, I will defend Roe v. Wade and I will defend women's rights to make their own health care decisions. And we have come too far to have that turned back now. And, indeed, he said women should be punished, that there should be some form of punishment for women who obtain abortions, and I could just not be more opposed to that kind of thinking.
Wolf Blitzer: Both men and women seemed to like that response, right?
Randi Kaye: Yeah. We found that really interesting that both men and women really supported Hillary Clinton in that moment. Certainly Natalie you did. Talking about the Planned Parenthood moment, where she said that she would defend Planned Parenthood that she would defend a woman's right to make health care decisions for herself.
Natalie (Undecided Voter): It was important to me because i don't think the government should have control over a woman's body just like they wouldn't have control of a man's body. There is no reason it should be for a woman. And also Planned Parenthood comes with a lot of other options like mammograms and so on. So, it's not just a ripping out, and I want to know what anatomy class he was in that he thought that's how it's performed days before, ripping out.
Randi Kaye: And as we said men as well feel strongly about this. Why did you agree with Hillary Clinton and think that was a high moment for her in that time in the debate?
Undecided Voter: Because a woman's choice is her choice. It should not be the government's decision as to who determines what we can and can't do about our families and our bodies. It should be a woman's right if she is able to be in that situation where she doesn't want to have it or it's in jeopardy of her life, it's her decision, and the family should be able to experience that and support her in that way.
This comes after recent polling conducted by Public Policy Polling, showing that a majority of voters in five key swing states — North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — are less likely to vote for candidates who want to defund Planned Parenthood.
The findings show that support for Planned Parenthood cuts across party lines, resonating with not just Democrats but independent voters — a key demographic this tight election cycle — and more than a third of Republican voters in most of these states. Click to read the full results of the polls: North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.