Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday morning. During the interview, host Chuck Todd pressed Clinton on the topic of abortion.
“When, or if, does an unborn child have constitutional rights?” Todd asked.
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The former secretary of state said said that the rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution are not applicable to unborn children, invoking the controversial 1973 abortion case, Roe v. Wade:
Well, under our laws currently, that is not something that exists. The unborn person doesn’t have constitutional rights. 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. It doesn’t mean that you don’t do everything possible to try to fulfill your obligations. But it does include sacrificing the woman’s right to make decisions. And I think that’s an important distinction, that under Roe v. Wade we’ve had enshrined under our Constitution.
Clinton added that abortion "is a choice. It is not a mandate."
Democratic candidate and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders echoed Clinton's comments Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
"I don't believe there's any constitutional protection for the unborn," he said.
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