Clinton fires back at GOP after debate

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Republican challengers are in a "race to the bottom on women's health or women's rights" in reaction to Wednesday's GOP debate.

The former Secretary of State wasn't present at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for Wednesday's Republican debate, but she was a hot topic of discussion.

Clinton hit back Thursday, refuting or criticizing things that were said about her by the top 11 Republican candidates.

Clinton's name was invoked at numerous stages in Wednesday's event. Republicans like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz slammed her for the email scandal that has placed the former first lady's electronic messages at the center of a federal investigation.

"They made one outlandish statement after another," she said in a statement Thursday. "Every single candidate on stage has pledged to defund Planned Parenthood if they become president ... And they are willing to shut down the federal government to do it, no matter how bad that is for our country.

"It would hurt hundreds of thousands of people."

Republicans and Democrats have been vocal of their opposition to Planned Parenthood in recent weeks after a series of "undercover" videos that purport to show the organization's personnel discussing the sale of body parts from fetuses.

Clinton, though, defended Planned Parenthood Thursday.

"That's how far they'll go to stop an organization that provides 500,000 breast exams, 400,000 pap [smear] tests and 4.5 million STD tests every year," she said.

"Last night, 11 Republican candidates continued their race to the bottom on women's health and women's rights," she added.

Clinton called on the leaders of both houses of Congress to submit a government funding bill that does not strip Planned Parenthood of its financial backing.

"[House] Speaker [John] Boehner and his colleagues have a job to do, and they should do it," she said. "Here's my message to them: Don't attack women's health care. And don't shut down the government."

Clinton was also criticized Wednesday for the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran.

"I can't wait to stand on that debate stage with Hillary Clinton and make abundantly clear that if you vote for Hillary, you are voting for the [Iranian] Ayatollah Khameini," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said during the debate.