WASHINGTON, D.C., May 1, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) — For Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, apparently abortion trumps religious liberty.
It may have gotten bipartisan support in the House of Representatives last night, but a spokesperson for the Democratic Party's leading presidential candidate says a resolution protecting religious liberty in the District of Columbia “overrule[s] the democratic process” and hurts women.
The vote, which saw three Democrats join the GOP majority and 13 Republicans stand with Democrats, was meant to protect pro-life and religious organizations in the District from the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Act (RHNDA).
RHNDA was signed by the mayor of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser, in January, and makes it illegal for any employer, including religious and pro-life organizations, to use a person's belief or actions about abortion in employment considerations. It also requires employers to provide abortion coverage.
The resolution now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to fail due to the Senate being on recess. Under existing federal law, the measure has 30 legislative days to be disapproved by Congress and President Obama. If this does not happen, it becomes law.
The 30-day window ends on Saturday. President Obama promised a veto of the resolution on Thursday, even though RHNDA was opposed by former District mayor Vincent Gray. According to Gray, while he “applaud[s] the goals of this legislation,” the former mayor believes RHNDA could violate the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal treatment under the law.
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The statement by the Clinton campaign left no doubt that she stood with Obama and a majority of Democratic legislators. Spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri told CNN, “Hillary Clinton has fought for women and families and their right to access the full range of reproductive health care without interference from politicians or employers.”
“Hillary will fight to make it easier, not more difficult, for women and families to get ahead and ensure that women are not discriminated against for personal medical decisions.”
The remarks come a week after Clinton took criticism for saying that “religious beliefs” critical of “reproductive rights” must “be changed.”
“Yes, we've cut the maternal mortality rate in half, but far too many women are still denied critical access to reproductive health,” she told the Women in the World Summit on April 23.
“Rights have to exist in practice, not just on paper,” said Clinton in her speech. “Laws have to be backed up with resources, and political will.”
“Deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed,” said the candidate.