Betty Ford, The Original Pro-Choice Political Wife

In response to Rick Perry’s Wife Anita: Abortion is “a woman’s right”:

When asked a question about abortion recently, Texas First Lady Anita Perry responded by saying she sees it “as a woman’s right.”

Anita Perry is not the first high-powered Texas political wife to break ranks with her hubby over reproductive rights. Shortly after her husband was elected to the presidency, Laura Bush stirred controversy by saying she did not believe Roe v. Wade should be overturned. In 1992 her mother-in-law, then-first lady Barbara Bush, jolted the presidential campaign by saying in multiple interviews that abortion was “a personal choice” and that she believed discussions of such matters didn’t belong in a presidential platform. 

Regardless of whether she was from Texas or not, the most outspoken pro-choice political wife has been Betty Ford. Mrs. Ford even appeared on television with her late-husband, President Gerald Ford, and bucked his pro-Life position by stating that she differed from him on the issue.

“As a staunch advocate for women’s and equal rights, Betty paved the way for generations of women to follow”–Bill and Hillary Clinton