Before before voter registration closes Friday in North Carolina, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards visited voter registration drives and phone banking events to campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. In Cary, N.C., Richards touted Clinton's work on women's healthcare access and her positions on reproductive rights. She told the gathered volunteers and field organizers that Clinton has "withstood the most grueling and demeaning campaign" and that Sunday's presidential debate was "a national embarrassment." Richards spoke with The Chronicle about the significance of women's health issues and reproductive rights in this election, and what she thinks is at stake.
The Chronicle: Why do you think women's reproductive health and reproductive rights are important in this election, and to college-age women in this election?
Cecile Richards: Roe v. Wade is on the ballot this November, without a doubt. Not only has Donald Trump said he would appoint justices to the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe—and we know there's at least one vacancy—but he picked a running mate, Mike Pence, who's built his entire political career out of trying to de-fund Planned Parenthood and access to reproductive healthcare in his home state of Indiana. It's not an intellectual issue—it's a real threat.
On the flip side, the incredible thing would be to have a president who would build on the extraordinary members of the Court that [President] Barack Obama has added. I can tell you first hand, having been at the Supreme Court for the argument over the Texas abortion restrictions, the addition of Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Court—having three women actually on the Court talk about the impact on women made all the difference, and you could see that throughout the argument. So having representation on the Supreme Court is incredibly important.
The other thing, of course, is that Donald Trump has said he's going to de-fund Planned Parenthood and Mike Pence—that's his mission. We know what happens in states where they end access to reproductive care, [such as] my home state of Texas. It's not an idea, it's something that they actually did everything they could to make a reality, and women in Texas have lost access to birth control. And just recently the reports have come out that maternal mortality rates have doubled.
So for young people, or students, we fought very hard to get birth control covered under the Affordable Care Act at no cost, and now every young person with insurance should be getting their birth control without any co-pay. If Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress have their way, they will overturn the Affordable Care Act and will wipe away [that benefit]. [Now] young people can stay on their parents' insurance, and they can get their family planning for no cost and that would end [with Trump].
Obviously, young people are going to be the biggest voting block this time. One of two people is going to get inaugurated in January. I think everybody should think about how important their vote is—in particular, how important their vote is in North Carolina.
TC: Has the issue of reproductive rights been emphasized enough in this election, in your opinion?
CR: No—shocking! The problem is, even in the national debates, we can't get to the issues because Donald Trump only wants to go off on these rants. It's a shame that a lot of issues haven't been talked about, [such as] LGBT rights, reproductive rights, immigrant rights. You saw in the Republican primary, this is all they talked about—getting rid of Planned Parenthood and overturning Roe v. Wade. And I think unfortunately there are probably many young people and many women who don't know that this is what Donald Trump and Mike Pence have pledged to do. We know at Planned Parenthood and Planned Parenthood Action Fund, that when people know that this is the extreme position a candidate has taken, they simply won't vote for them. And that's why the Action Fund is running our biggest voter mobilization and voter education program in the history of our organization, because so much is at stake.
TC: What specifically do you hope Hillary will do for Planned Parenthood, if she is elected?
CR: I think just support women's health and rights, and support abortion access for all people. She's been a strong supporter of overturning the Hyde Amendment [which bars federal funds from paying for abortion except in extreme circumstances], which has kept low-income women from having access. And frankly, it's not just for Planned Parenthood. She's been an advocate for women's healthcare her entire lifetime, and that's what we need. We've made huge strides with [President Barack Obama] in beginning to get parity in access to healthcare, but too many women are going without care. That, to me, is front-and-center [in this election].
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