US elections 2016: Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump stand on key issues

Washington: As The Unites States goes to polls, Americans and the world at large are waiting with bated breath to know who will occupy the White House after Barack Obama.

Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

Where do the two presidential candidates stand on some of the biggest issues that matter to American citizens? Here's a look.

Abortion issue:

Hillary Clinton has been at the forefront of the fight for women's right to have safe and legal abortions.

"I will defend the right to choose and I will defend planned parenthood," she said. She is strongly pro-choice.

Ever since he started campaigning for the US presidential election, Donald Trump has twice asserted that he is 'pro-life' and believes that abortion is immoral.

"I am now pro-life after years of being pro-choice," Trump said.

Gun laws:

Following in the footsteps of Barack Obama, Hillary has called for stricter gun law and has promised to challenge powerful gun lobbyists and scrap legislation which protects gun manufacturers from being sued by victims.

"More than 33,000 Americans are killed by guns every year. It's time to act. As president, I will take on the gun lobby and fight for common sense reforms to keep guns away from terrorists, domestic abusers, and other violent criminals - including comprehensive background checks and closing loopholes that allow guns to fall into the wrong hands," Hillary said.

On the other hand, the billionaire Republican nominee has been staunchly against any form of gun reform. According to Trump, mass shootings are a mental health issue which cannot be solved by gun control.

"We have a huge mental health problem in this country. The guns don't pull the trigger. It's the people that pull the trigger and we have to find out what is going on," Trump said.

However, during a Presidential debate in September, Trump agreed with Hillary that people who are on FBI 'watch list' or 'no-fly list' should not be allowed to buy firearms.

Govt-funded healthcare 'Obamacare':

Hillary has been a strong supporter of a nationwide rollout of affordable healthcare. She has openly supported more investment in this sector. Though she has not been as enthusiastic as President Obama with Obamacare, lately, she has become more outspoken about health issues, particularly Obamacare.

Contrary to Hillary's stand, Trump believes that Obamacare should be abolished as it has led to catastrophic debt. He also believes in removing the federal government's influence over healthcare in America.

In a speech in Pennsylvania on November 1, 2016, Trump said he would call for a special session of Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act if elected president. "When we win on November 8th and elect a Republican Congress, we will be able to immediately repeal and replace Obamacare. I will ask Congress to convene a special session so we can repeal and replace," he had said.

He has publicly made the link of autism to childhood vaccines and believes that they should be administered over several years.

Immigration:

Hillary has been vocal about her support for refugees and immigrants from terror-hit nations. However, she the former first lady also has plans to detain and deport 'undocumented' migrants who pose a violent threat to public safety.

Hillary has pledged to accept at least 65,000 Syria migrants and give refugees and asylum-seekers a fair chance to tell their stories.

She also advocates President Barack Obama’s stalled proposals which protect undocumented migrants, who meet certain criteria, from deportation.

On the other hand, Donald Trump is staunchly opposed to illegal immigration.

Trump had even gone to the extent to call Mexican immigrants 'criminals' and 'rapists'.

He has vowed to build a 'great wall' on the America’s southern border and to make Mexico pay for it. This promise features prominently on his campaign website.

Trump later announced plans for a 'total and complete shutdown' of Muslim immigration to the US.

The Republican presidential candidate recently declared that he would deport 'all criminal aliens' from US, if he gets elected as the next president.

Trump also said he planned to deport all 11 million illegal immigrants from the US and would use a 'deportation force' to do so.

However, he has now softened his stand, to an extent, on the issue.