Donald Trump’s campaign attempted to walk back controversial comments the Republican front-runner made Wednesday about punishing women for having illegal abortions.
Trump’s campaign said if abortion were banned, it would be the doctor and not the woman who would 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,” the campaign said.
“The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb,” the statement added.
Trump made the controversial comments during an appearance at an MSNBC town hall Wednesday.
“There should be some form of punishment,” according to a transcript of his remarks posted on Bloomberg.
Trump’s comments drew fire from anti-abortion foes who have questioned the reality TV star’s sincerity on being pro-life.
“Mr. Trump is out of touch with the pro-life movement,” said Penny Nance, president and CEO of the group Concerned Women for America. She added that “no one is advocating for the imprisonment of women seeking abortions.”
The Democratic National Committee attempted to tie Trump’s comments to the Republican Party as a whole.
“While Trump’s hateful rhetoric is the most disgusting in the current field, the other two Republican candidates aren’t much different when it comes to actual policy,” said DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Recent polling shows that Trump is doing poorly among women. A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 70 percent of women surveyed viewed him unfavorably.
