Trump backpedals on abortion views
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has backtracked on his remarks that women who end pregnancies should face punishment if the United States bans abortion.
The comments triggered a torrent of criticism from both sides of the abortion debate, including from his White House rivals.
After MSNBC broadcast a clip of an interview with Trump yesterday, the billionaire businessman backtracked on his remarks, first saying that the abortion issue should be handled by states, and later saying that doctors who performed abortions should be the ones held responsible.
The New York real estate tycoon, who once supported abortion access, has come under pressure from conservatives to prove that he is truly one of them. At the same time, he has drawn criticism for comments that offended women and minority groups.
‘‘Of course, women shouldn’t be punished,’’ rival Republican candidate John Kasich said. He added that he opposed abortion except in specific cases such as rape.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, the third candidate for the Republican nomination for the November 8 election, said Trump had not thought through the issue.
‘‘What’s far too often neglected is that being pro-life is not simply about the unborn child, it’s also about the mother.’’
Abortion rights supporters were equally incensed.
‘‘What Donald Trump said was outrageous and dangerous. I’m constantly taken aback at the kinds of things that he advocates for,’’ Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton said.
‘‘Once again, he has showed us who he is.’’
Dawn Laguens of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of the women’s health group, called Trump ‘‘flat-out dangerous’’.
In the MSNBC
interview, Trump said that if the US banned abortion, some women would seek to end pregnancies illegally.
‘‘There has to be some form of punishment,’’ he said. Asked what form he would advocate, he replied: ‘‘That I don’t know.’’
Anti-abortion groups said Trump’s comments were at odds with their own stance.
‘‘In all the positions the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken around the issue of abortion, they have not called for punishment of women who’ve had abortions,’’ said Don Clemmer, a spokesman for the group.
After the backlash started, Trump’s campaign sought to moderate his view. ‘‘This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination,’’ he said in a statement.
Later, he walked back his comments further to say doctors, not women, should be responsible. ‘‘The woman is a victim in this case, as is the life in her womb.’’
The dust-up was evidence of further discord among Republicans over Trump’s candidacy.
In the interview, Trump also said he would not rule out the possibility of using nuclear weapons to combat Islamic State militants. ‘‘I would never take any of my cards off the table,’’ he said.