Hillary Clinton Refers to Fetus as 'Unborn Person,' Drawing Criticism from Pro-Choice Movement

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Apr 04, 2016

Hillary Clinton Refers to Fetus as 'Unborn Person,' Drawing Criticism from Pro-Choice Movement

Recent comments by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton have drawn criticism from both the pro-life and pro-choice movement.

According to The Washington Times, Clinton recently spoke with NBC’s “Meet the Press” and commented on the issue of abortion.

“The unborn person doesn’t have constitutional rights,” said Clinton. “Now that doesn’t mean that we don’t do everything we possibly can in the vast majority of instances to, you know, help a mother who is carrying a child and wants to make sure that child will be healthy, to have appropriate medical support.”

Pro-lifers, of course, oppose Clinton’s view that unborn children do not have constitutional rights, but those in the pro-choice camp also took issue with Clinton’s statement, arguing that using the phrase “unborn person” suggests the fetus has all the rights that come with personhood.

The comment “further stigmatizes #abortion,” said Diana Arellano, manager of community engagement for Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, in a tweet. “She calls a fetus an ‘unborn child’ & calls for later term restrictions.”

Planned Parenthood has released official guidelines for the proper terminology to be used when discussing abortion.

“‘Abort a child’ is medically inaccurate, as the fetus is not yet a child,” the guide reads. “‘Terminate’ a pregnancy is commonly used, however some people prefer to avoid this as terminate may have negative connotations (e.g., ‘terminator or assassinate’) for some people.”

The guide recommends using the terms “embryo” and “fetus,” rather than “baby,” “dead fetus,” or “unborn baby.”

Although Clinton has blasted Republican frontrunner Donald Trump for his stance on abortion and for his recent assertion (which he soon retracted) that women who get abortions should receive “some form of punishment,” Clinton has been accused of a Trump-life gaffe herself for her recent “unborn person” statement.

“This is Trump-level gaffery,” Commentary Editor John Podhoretz said in a tweet. “If you acknowledge personhood, then the unborn has every Constitutional right.”

Publication date: April4, 2016



Hillary Clinton Refers to Fetus as 'Unborn Person,' Drawing Criticism from Pro-Choice Movement