Perhaps in an attempt to distract everyone from her email scandal, Hillary Clinton on Thursday likened pro-life Republicans to “terrorist groups.”
Speaking in front of an Ohio flag backdrop at Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland on Thursday, Clinton castigated the GOP candidates for their opposition to Planned Parenthood.
“Marco Rubio brags about wanting to deny victims of rape and incest access to healthcare, to an abortion. Jeb Bush says Planned Parenthood shouldn’t get a penny. Your governor right here in Ohio banned state funding for some rape crisis centers because they sometimes refer women to other health facilities that do provide abortions.”
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She shifted her weight back and forth behind the “Hillary”-stamped lectern and angrily waved her finger in the air.
“I would like these Republican candidates to look a mom in the eye who caught her breast cancer early because she was able to get a screening for cancer, or the teenager who didn’t get pregnant because she had access to contraception, or anyone who’s ever been protected by an HIV test.”
The crowd cheered when she said this, but then she took it a step further.
“Now, extreme views about women? We expect that from some of the terrorist groups. We expect that from people who don’t want to live in the modern world.”
The crowd said nothing, and she squinted.
“But it’s a little hard to take comin’ from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States, yet they espouse out of date and out of touch policies. They are dead wrong for 21st century America! We’re goin' forward. We’re not going back!”
Clinton did not say which terrorist groups she was talking about and her campaign did not respond to a request for clarification.
Republican presidential contenders quickly took to social media to respond.
Bush tweeted, “.@HillaryClinton compares pro-life Americans to terrorists, but defends despicable PP treatment of unborn? Her priorities are totally wrong”; and Kasich, less pointedly and in the third person, retorted, “Coincidence that Hillary came out swinging at @JohnKasich after polls show he’s the only one who beats her in NH?” He included a link to donate to his campaign. Rubio has not yet offered a response on social media, and his campaign hasn’t replied to a request for comment.
ISIS has forced girls as young as 11 years old into sex slavery and the group’s leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, raped slain American hostage Kayla Mueller, according to officials.
ISIS does not seem to have an official policy on federal funding for abortion in America.
Clinton is not the only prominent Democrat to make an unfortunate comparison such as this. Vice President Joe Biden, who may or may not be running for the nomination himself, in 2011 charged that the Tea Party had “acted like terrorists” during negotiations over raising the debt ceiling.
“We have negotiated with terrorists. This small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money.” Biden remarked, according to Politico. “They have acted like terrorists.”
