Republican frontrunner tells MSNBC there needs to be ‘some form of punishment’ for women, though he later disavowed controversial remarks
Donald Trump participates in a town hall event in Milwaukee on Tuesday. Photograph: Tannen Maury/EPA
Women who have abortions should be punished if the practice were illegal, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said on Wednesday, before retracting his claim amid an outcry.
Trump, who has held opposing positions on the abortion in the past, said women should receive “some form of punishment” if it were banned in the US. He was unable to say whether he believed the punishment should be a small fine or a long prison sentence.
The remarks prompted an outcry from all quarters, and once again underscored his poor approval ratings among women. The Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, decribed the comments as “horrific and telling”. Anti-abortion campaigners, who focus their efforts on punishing those who carry out abortions, distanced themselves from the remarks.
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Amid the storm, Trump issued a swift clarification of the comments. His position “had not changed”, he said, despite going on to fully recant the earlier statements he made to interviewer Chris Matthews on MSNBC.
The latest Trump conflagration began during the taping of a town hall event, when Matthews asked him to define his “pro-life” stance and assertions that abortion should be banned.
“Do you believe in punishment for abortion – yes or no – as a principle,” asked Matthews.
“The answer is there has to be some form of punishment,” said Trump.
“For the woman?” Matthews said.
“Yeah, there has to be some form,” Trump replied.
“Ten cents, 10 years, what,” Matthews asked again, pressing.
“That I don’t know,” said Trump.
The 90-second exchange inflamed Democratic pro-choice advocates, Republicans who have criticized Trump for flip-flopping on the issue, and anti-abortion advocates.
In a 1999 interview, Trump described himself as “pro-choice in every respect”, and also said he would not “ban abortion” if he was ever elected president. But his position as a presidential candidate has changed starkly.
Trump later tried to clarify his position in a statement.
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However, he seemed to acknowledge that the establishment of any anti-abortion law would fall to Congress or state legislatures.
“If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman. The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb. My position has not changed – like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions,” the statement said.
Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton wrote in a Twitter post soon after the remarks emerged: “Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse. Horrific and telling.”
Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of America’s best-known abortion provider, said the statements were tantamount to an incitement of violence.
The Susan B Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, attempted to clarify the position of the anti-abortion lobby, calling Trump a “convert” to the movement.
“[Let] us be clear: punishment is solely for the abortionist who profits off of the destruction of one life and the grave wounding of another,” said president Marjorie Dannenfelser in a statement.
The exchange prompted immediate questions for other Republican candidates about how they would enforce an “abortion ban”.
Ohio governor and Republican nominee hopeful John Kasich told Chuck Todd the same afternoon that punishing women who have illegal abortions, in the hypothetical situation that there were a ban, was not “an appropriate response”.
“Absolutely not, and I mean I do have exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother,” Kasich said.
Todd asked how an “abortion ban” would be enforced.
“Well, look,” said Kasich, “I think [the exceptions are] rape, incest, life of the mother, and perhaps you build some restrictions, but I think you have to be very careful in the way you do it.”
In a statement issued by his campaign, Ted Cruz dismissed Trump’s remarks as a cry for attention.
“Once again Donald Trump has demonstrated that he hasn’t seriously thought through the issues, and he’ll say anything just to get attention,” the Republican presidential candidate said. “On the important issue of the sanctity of life, what’s far too often neglected is that being pro-life is not simply about the unborn child; it’s also about the mother – and creating a culture that respects her and embraces life. Of course we shouldn’t be talking about punishing women; we should affirm their dignity and the incredible gift they have to bring life into the world.”
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