Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is going on the attack, comparing Republican presidential candidates to terrorists because of some of their pro-life views.
The news comes after the release of eight videos by the Center for Medical Progress showing Planned Parenthood executives discussing selling the organs and tissue from aborted fetuses.
The abortion provider denies the accusations and says the footage has been heavily edited. Even so, the videos have prompted congressional investigations, and several states are seeking to block federal funding to the group.
But speaking before a small Ohio audience Thursday about what she calls “women’s issues,” Clinton called such reactions “extreme.”
“Extreme views about women, we expect them from some of the terrorist groups,” she said. “We expect that from people who don’t want to live in the modern world, but it’s a little hard to take coming from Republicans who want to be the president of the United States.”
Republicans fired back.
“Hillary Clinton compares pro-life Americans to terrorists, but defends despicable Planned Parenthood treatment of unborn? Her priorities are totally wrong,” Jeb Bush tweeted.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, also blasted Clinton on Twitter.
“The only thing extreme is taking a position that doesn’t protect these lives,” Walker said.
“Not one more cent from taxpayers should go to Planned Parenthood,” Cruz said.
During a recent interview with Laura Ingraham, Donald Trump panned Planned Parenthood as an “abortion factory.”
“Well, you should defund anyway because they are doing the abortions,” he said. “It is like an abortion factory, which is terrible… it’s like you are selling parts to an automobile or something.”
Clinton also blasted former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, telling supporters he banned state funding for some rape crisis centers because they referred women to other health facilities that provide abortions.
Kasich’s camp responded, saying, “Ohio and our country deserves better than what Clinton is offering. Hillary Clinton’s trail of scandal is decades long, and only continues to worsen.”
Some political analysts say Clinton is talking about this issue in an effort to shift attention away from her email scandal which has hurt her in the polls.
According to a new Quinnipiac survey, when asked the first word that comes to mind about Clinton, people said “liar,” “dishonest,” and “untrustworthy.”
