Posted on 03/30/2016 2:50:43 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump quickly walked back a statement he made earlier Wednesday that if abortion were illegal in the United States, then women who have the procedure should be punished - saying later that only those who performed the procedure should be punished.
“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 written statement. “The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb.”
Earlier, at a taped MSNBC town hall to be aired later Wednesday, Trump said if abortions were illegal, women should be held responsible.
Host Chris Matthews pressed Trump to clarify, asking him whether abortion should be punished and who ultimately should be held accountable.
“Look, people in certain parts of the Republican Party, conservative Republicans, would say, ‘Yes, it should,’” Trump said.
The candidate later put out a statement saying: “This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination.”
Trump’s comments come at a time when he’s losing traction with women voters.
When asked specifically at the town hall what he thought, the New York businessman answered, “I would say it’s a very serious problem and it’s a problem we have to decide on. Are you going to send them to jail?”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
And he’ll threaten to sue anyone who does suggest he said what he said.
At least Mr. Trump will be the most physically fit president with all the positions and statements he has to “walk back”
Flip’n Chick’n Trump
The original “pants on fire liar”
It’s true: Blind and deaf is no way to play “follow the leader.”
“Excuse me, Believe me, it’ll be great. Everyone will be happy. I’m rich. “
No. Just NO. Has nothing to do with Cruz, whom I cannot stand. It’s about the disaster of a candidate that trump is and the pretzels that his followers will twist themselves into to defend his every utterance no matter how indefensible. And the vitriol they direct to Freepers who stand aghast looking on in horror.
Law has to have a legitimate public interest. I would argue that the legitimate public interest here is not in doling out individual moral retribution or karmic consequences, but in actually shutting down the abortion industry.
This you will only do with proposals that will carry two houses of Congress and survive the challenge of a Presidential veto; or which will do the equivalent at the state level. I can tell you right now that a proposal for punishing women who procure abortions, has exactly zero -— 0 —— chance of doing this.
The only legislation that has ever actually shut down clinics in this country, is legislation crafted to be woman-protective as well as baby-protective.
That may not make your heart race, but that’s a fact.
You are entitled to your own opinions, but not to your own facts.
I called it that night that he would lie and run third party. And I was castigated by all the sTrumpettes on FR for saying that trump[ was lying. They are giving the same fealty to Trump that Obozo's supporters give him, and are too stupid to see the similarities. I will sit this election out if Trump is the candidate.
Sometime I hear what I want to, not what was actually said so I probably need to go back and listen to the precise words used. I thought he said something to the effect that it was not his policy to support anyone who attacked his family but rather cleverly avoided a direct answer by saying it was not an issue because he (Cruz) was going to receive the nomination.
Let’s start with that. The reason he was asked that question is because that question, in a snarky fashion, has been asked of pro-life people for years as a reason for not outlawing abortion. “You are surely not going to punish all those “innocent” women, are you?”
The hypothetical question was asked by Trump, who is schooled that laws are to be obeyed. Pro-lifers usually call for the abortionist to be punished. Pro-abortionists will then revert to the “back alley, clothes hanger” argument.
It is just another “gotcha” question, the kind that will be attacked for any answer offered.
But pro-abortion people like you think it is horrible for anyone to actually try to limit abortion.
Uh, if they break the law?
How’s Cruz coming on that pledge?
Trump doesn’t seem to think so (at least today).
And what is Cruz’s position? What else do you call a woman who commissions a doctor to rip her own flesh and blood child from her body? To call her a “victim” is ridiculous. Indeed, her punishment is assured, even if it’s not on this earth.
This is the first time I’ve really been disappointed in Trump. I wish he had stuck to his original statement.
“By tomorrow he’ll claim he never said that and his supporters will fall in line.”
Or Tsupporters will say he has “evolved” since yesterday. They crack me up
In a nation of law and order, all illegal actions will be subject to punishment!
If abortion is illegal then there will be punishment for anyone committing abortion!
Just because the subject is ‘abortion’, no one dares to say that the act of abortion should be/would be subject to punishment!
Why bother to make it illegal if there is no punishment?
I hear you.
I’m going to just assume that you’re genuinely asking and not just trying to make me pissed off.
If Cruz made a ‘controversial’ (whatever that means) statement and then walked it back or clarified or whatever, especially on Chrissy’s show, would you be treating him the same way?
“It is just another “gotcha” question, the kind that will be attacked for any answer offered.”
It may have been a gotcha question - but Trump should take the campaign seriously and prepare himself to make cogent answers.
Instead, Trump, in usual fashion, answers one way, then another and manages to offend both sides of an important issue.
Something is going on with Trump. I don’t know what it is but voters need to find out before anymore votes are cast for the man. Otherwise, Trump will elect H. Clinton, the woman he has previously supported and generously funded.
Unfortunately, Trump has no chance but to walk back his comments because even Ted Cruz and his merry crew are using Democrat tactics and calling him anti-woman. I’d never thought I’d see the day on FR.
It would depends on the subject matter. If he blundered like Trump did on a basic pro-life position, I'd be on him like ugly on an ape.
But, that ain't happening because Cruz knows what he believes and why he believes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN1IXDrXgV0
And Ted shakes hands with a lunatic, American Taliban, Preacher that calls for the Murder of Gays. But with the Cruz Cultist, that’s just dandy.
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