Presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand said Tuesday President Trump “wants to have a war on women” after three Republican-controlled states passed abortion legislation drastically limiting abortions.
“This is something that President Trump has unleashed. He apparently wants to have a war on women in America, and if this is a war that he wants to have, he will have it, and he will lose it because American women will not accept this,” the New York Democrat said in an interview with CNN’s “Right Now” show.
Ms. Gillibrand was interviewed during a Washington abortion protest that is being mirrored across the country.
“This protest today is being replicated in 50 states right now, a nationwide day of protest by women speaking out for their basic human rights, their basic civil rights. The ability to make the most intimate life and death decisions and to have bodily autonomy is part of basic human rights for American women so we’re going to fight,” she said.
Fellow presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar shared Ms. Gillibrand’s sentiment, saying it was “not just a coincidence” the legislations were enacted so close to each other.
“You go back to 2016 when the president was running for office and had a town hall meeting. He was asked what should happen if a woman has an abortion and he said ’she should be punished,’” she said.
The senators’ comments follow three states: Georgia, Alabama and Missouri, passing legislation this month limiting abortions within their states.
Georgia banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, Alabama outlawed virtually all abortions in the state, including in cases of rape and incest, and Missouri passed an abortion bill banning abortions past eight weeks into pregnancy.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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