Hillary Clinton Says “Religious Beliefs” About Abortion “Have to Be Changed”

Democratic presidential candidate says creeds stand in way

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said religious and cultural views need to change for abortion rights and women’s issues to gain wider acceptance. According to The Daily Caller, Clinton gave a progressive feminist speech at the sixth annual Women in the World summit in New York City Thursday:

“Far too many women are denied access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth, and laws don’t count for much if they’re not enforced. Rights have to exist in practice — not just on paper,” Clinton said.

“Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will,” she explained. “And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed. As I have said and as I believe, the advancement of the full participation of women and girls in every aspect of their societies is the great unfinished business of the 21st century and not just for women but for everyone — and not just in far away countries but right here in the United States.”

Conservative news sites seized on Clinton’s comments to imply she is hostile to religion. In fact, Clinton has described her upbringing as that of a devout Methodist and sought to join forces rhetorically with pro-life supporters in a 2005 speech. Although Clinton did not identify the religious beliefs that oppose abortion rights and women’s issues, her remarks suggest she believes that traditional and orthodox religion and culture are an obstacle rather than a road to greater equality for women and children.