Democrats from Florida and primary rivals pounced on Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump after he opened the door to punishing women if abortion was illegal.
Speaking to Chris Matthews at a MSNBC media event on Wednesday, Trump was asked if women who have abortions should be punished if the procedure was outlawed.
“There has to be some form of punishment, yeah,” Trump said.
Later on Wednesday, the Trump campaign emailed the media a statement attempting to clarify their candidate’s position on abortion.
“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 the statement. “ 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.”
Democratic congresswomen from Florida quickly went after Trump on the matter.
"Donald Trump's vileness and contempt for women knows no bounds,” insisted U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). “It will indeed be Donald Trump and Republican candidates who are punished come November. The Republican Party's presidential frontrunner has said out loud what the leaders of his party have been working toward since the right to a safe and legal abortion became settled law decades ago - the criminalization of women that denies them the right to make their own decisions about their health-care.”
Insisting she was “furious," U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., went to bat for the Florida Democratic Party and went after Trump in an email to supporters.
“Today, Donald Trump said that he’s in favor of punishing women who undergo an abortion," Frankel wrote. “He is not only in favor of the government coming between a woman and her doctor, but also supports punishing a woman for undergoing a potentially lifesaving procedure.”
Frankel slammed Trump’s “whacko policies” and called on Democrats to stop him.
Trump also drew fire from his Republican primary rivals.
Getting ready to take on Trump in next week’s winner take all primary in Wisconsin, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, weighed in on his rival’s comments about abortion on Wednesday afternoon.
"Once again Donald Trump has demonstrated that he hasn't seriously thought through the issues, and he'll say anything just to get attention,” Cruz 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."
Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, came out swinging at Trump on Thursday morning, hitting the frontrunner for his comments on abortion and other matters.
“The past 24 hours revealed in the clearest way yet that Donald Trump is not prepared to be president. On top of all his previous inflammatory statements, yesterday he proposed punishing women who receive abortions, attacked the Geneva Conventions and said he’d nominate Supreme Court justices based on who will look into Hillary Clinton’s email scandal," Kasich said. “Donald Trump is not ready to be commander in chief. He talks loosely about the use of nuclear weapons and of dismantling NATO. America is facing major challenges at home and abroad and cannot afford to elect a president who does not respect the seriousness of the office.
“Since the beginning of the campaign, I have focused on uniting our country and finding solutions to the threats we are facing,” Kasich added. “I believe you can be a defender of life while respecting women, you can defend our country without alienating our allies and basic human rights and you win against Hillary Clinton without using outlandish rhetoric. As president, I will approach every day with the seriousness of purpose our country deserves.”
Trump’s comments also drew fire from leading social and religious conservatives including Robert George over at First Things.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
