Hillary Clinton calls for a change in 'deep-seated' religious beliefs on abortion

Building on her decidedly feminist campaign message, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took a forceful stance on abortion rights Thursday when she called for a change in "deep-seated" cultural and religious standards.

Clinton made the comments while delivering the keynote address at the annual Women in The World Summit in New York. "Rights have to exist in practice — not just on paper," she said. "Laws have to be backed up with resources and political will. And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed."

Clinton did, however, acknowledge the progress that has been made for women around the world. "All the evidence tells us that despite the enormous obstacles that remain, there has never been a better time in history to be born female. Think about that," she said, to applause from the audience.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

Clinton also addressed the confirmation of Loretta Lynch and the state of America's immigration policy. Watch a video of Clinton's remarks below. —Kimberly Alters