The leaders of the three largest abortion rights lobbying organizations — Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Emily’s List — denounced Donald Trump’s prior comments about possibly jailing women who have abortions illegally.
Trump has since revised his comments, but his remarks drew fire from the Left, and the Right with rivals like John Kasich.
“Under no circumstance should we take Donald Trump’s comments yesterday lightly, or dismiss them on his many efforts to walk them back,” Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said on a media call Thursday. “These [comments] are coming from a man who both wants to be president of the United States of America this year, and is dangerously close.”
Richards didn’t spare other Republicans in her remarks, however.
“While Trump may be the bluntest, what he is saying is not that different than every other Republican candidate,” Richards said. “So, let’s be clear, Donald Trump may say it, but Ted Cruz has voted for these positions, and John Kasich has as well.”
“If you make abortion a crime, you make women and doctors criminals,” she added.
Kasich denied that was his agenda, and said Wednesday that women should “absolutely not” be punished for having abortions.
“I do have exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother, but of course women shouldn’t be punished,” Kasich said.
Ted Cruz has so far been less categorical.
Trump said in his controversial interview that in prior years, people would “go to illegal places,” and said, “you have to ban it.” When asked if Trump was implicitly backing illegal, under-the-table abortion, Richards argued that this sort of thing was already being seen in her home state of Texas.
“What we’re already seeing in the state of Texas where, of course, some of the most extreme restrictions on abortion providers and access have been passed, [are] reports of thousands of women who have tried to terminate a pregnancy with the aid of a doctor or a medical provider,” Richards said. “It is not a far leap to imagine that’s where we’re going.”
