Kelly Clarkson voiced her strong opposition to the recent Arizona Supreme Court abortion ruling reinstating a total ban from 1864 and described it as “insane” and a step backward for the country. 

In an interview with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her daytime talk show, Clarkson expressed her disbelief at the decision and emphasized the need for progress. “Did you ever think in your lifetime that we would see that happen? It’s just insane to me the thinking that went on in 1864 — it’s a very different world,” Clarkson said.

Clarkson’s remarks came in response to a ruling by Arizona’s Supreme Court, which reinstated an 1864 law that criminalizes abortions. The law allows for a minimal exception only when the life of a pregnant person is at risk. Clinton agreed and called the law “horrifying in every way.”

Clinton said, “I feared it would happen, but I hoped it wouldn’t happen. And now, here we are in the middle of this very difficult period for women in about half the states of our country who cannot get the care that they need. There’s a kind of cruelty to it. No exceptions for rape, incest. There’s a cruelty toward women, toward women’s lives.”

Clarkson concurred, “You don’t realize how hard it is. The fact that you would take that away from someone…The fact if they’re raped by their family member. It’s just like insane to me.” Clarkson attributed the Arizona ruling to voter apathy and suggested that disillusionment and a sense of powerlessness may have contributed to its passage.

“I have many different, random types of people in my life that have so many different ways of thinking about politics, faith, everything — and all of it’s fine,” Clarkson said. “What I’m hearing from everyone is that they’re just exhausted, and they feel powerless. And even if I do vote, what does it matter?” It’s like, ‘What does it matter?’ Well, that’s why we’re going back to 1864.” 

Clarkson asked Clinton, “What do we do about that? Because it’s hard to preach to someone that you have to care about something, but at the same time, I feel like we’re gonna end up in — not to sound dramatic — but some kind of civil war on things we shouldn’t be divided on.”

Clinton responded, “Whatever you care about, voting is your superpower. And it may not seem like it, but it really is.”

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