Trump Backtracks After Call For Abortion Ban That Punishes Women Unleashes Firestorm From Both Sides

Teflon Don Showing Chips Over Abortion Position That Would Lead to Countless Horrific Deaths of Women

Wednesday afternoon Donald Trump called to make abortion totally illegal, including a requirement that women who get illegal abortions be punished under the law. The GOP frontrunner also acknowledged that some women women would end up going to back-alley abortionists, but stressed there must be “punishment.”

His comments, which he made to Chris Matthews at a town hall which will be aired on MSNBC tonight, have caused the “Teflon Don,” as some call Trump, considerable harm – and caused a rare statement from both Trump and his campaign walking back his extremely offensive and callous remarks.

“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,” Trump said in a statement reported by Talking Points Memo. “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.”

EARLIER: Trump Says ‘We Have to Ban’ Abortion, Wants ‘Some Form of Punishment’ If Women Get Illegal Abortions

That’s a dramatic change from Trump’s comments just a few short hours ago, in which he said, “There has to be some form of punishment,” of women who get illegal abortions, and “Well, you go back to a position like they had where they would perhaps go to illegal places but we have to ban it.” 

Before issuing the statement above, the Trump campaign said the issue of abortion is “unclear” and “should be put back into the states for determination.”

Clearly, both Trump and his campaign staff are unaware of how U.S. law and the judicial system work, or perhaps, that the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade already decided the issue.

As others have said, what have people who claim to be “pro-life” been thinking would happen if abortion somehow were once again banned? Women would not face punishment for breaking the law? Women would not die because there were no medical professionals who could legally perform the procedures? 

Some responses via Twitter:

 

Image: Screenshot via Meet the Press/Twitter