Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Wednesday that women who had abortions should face “some form of punishment” if Republicans were successful in banning the practice.
During a town hall event that set to air on MSNBC Wednesday night, host Chris Matthews insisted that Trump could not dodge the question of how to enforce an abortion ban.
“Look, people in certain parts of the Republican Party, conservative Republicans, would say, ‘Yes, it should,’” Trump replied. “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?”
“There has to be some form of punishment,” he said.
“For the woman?” Matthews pressed.
“Yeah,” Trump replied, adding that the punishment would “have to be determined.”
You know I think that Matthews gets a lot of well deserved criticism, but damn sometimes he is exactly the right kind of interviewer to the truth out of these politicians.
Here was how Hillary responded.
So I guess under a Trump presidency things like women's rights, and settled Supreme Court cases simply would not matter.Just when you thought it couldn't get worse. Horrific and telling. -H https://t.co/Qi8TutsOw9
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 30, 2016
Good to know.
Gee, Donald, then maybe the first person you should jail is your good buddy $arah.
ReplyDeleteIn all fairness, I think what Sarah Palin had was a "spontaneous abortion," what we in the non-medical world refer to as a miscarriage. I suspect she freaked out at the medical terminology.
DeleteBeaglemom
Karen Santorum had a partial birth abortion to save her life.
Deletehttp://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-gop-primary-live-updates-and-results/2016/03/donald-trump-illegal-abortions-punish-women-221391
ReplyDeleteScott Walker impregnated his girlfriend while in college. He told her to get an abortion. The girlfriend had the baby (a boy), and her college room mate, a physician has set the record straight on Scott Walker.
DeleteNext question. Mr. Trump, how many abortions have you paid for to end the pregnancies of women you did not want to have children with?
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't running for office as a Law and Order, Crime and Punishment, Discipline must be imposed, Fire and Brimstone, Fear the Wrath of God, old-timey Republican from the Heartland. Was he?
DeleteIceberg Ahead!!! And that's it Donny!
ReplyDeleteI believe you mean "Mr. President".
DeleteIt is gonna happen.
7:35 - You're on the wrong blog, son.
Delete7:35 - proof the palin's read and post on Gryphen's blog
DeleteOh, I think Andersen Cooper nailed it when he said Drumpf was basically a five year old having a tantrum. And he didn't allow Mr. Excuse Me to interrupt him and take over the narrative. Andersen kept talking over The Dullard and said that every parent of a five year old recognizes the excuses Drumpf is making.
DeleteYeah, poor ol' Dullard must have gone home and called on his lawyers to start the "their being mean to me" law suits.
Sarah would have done Dullard a favor to gift him with a refrigerator and show him how to throw tuna cans. She could charge it to SarahPac as a political donation and Dullard could put it on his income tax as medically required stress relief.
If abortions become illegal in the USA, women without the time or money to go Canada for an abortion will either have the baby or get an illegal abortion.
ReplyDeleteMaking abortions illegal in the USA just exports those abortions to Canada (and elsewhere) that provide safe, private abortions. Except for poor women, of course. It's poor women that are least equipped to cope with an unwanted pregnancy.
Not even the GOP fanatics are going to commit to the draconian measures that would be necessary to stop abortions. Even they don't want to require women to pee on a stick before boarding a plane headed out of the country. Keeping every pregnant woman inside the USA to prevent an abortion attempt isn't (yet) in the dreams of Trump's ilk.
Are you kidding? Of course they do and will. The religious fanatics like Cruz would stop all abortion in a split second. They don't care about people. They would too make women pee before boarding plane. They already think invasive probes are just fine, don't they? What's a simple pregnancy test to these monsters? Do not underestimate the evil that has taken hold in the GOP.
DeleteIndiana's Governor, Mike Pence (Tea Party) and the Republican super majority passed a law last week that makes it a crime to have an abortion for reasons of gender choice or genetic choice. Your fetus has an extra chromosome? Sorry, lady, you don't get to abort. You're going to take personal responsibility and you're gonna have that child and the rest of your life and the rest of your family's life will be burdened with the care of that genetically challenged child. Don't think it can happen? It's happening! I didn't think the law was going to pass. I thought it was dead and then I find out it was passed and signed. It stinks how they did that while no one was paying attention! They're dirty and disgusting.
DeleteThrow all the women in prison. That way there won't be any abortions. Problem solved!
DeleteAbortion will never be illegal again.
DeleteIt is just one of the social arguements that the two parties bat back and forth to keep all the minions where they want them.
Yes they would. They also want to get rid of birth control. Why do you think they are chipping away at these rights every fucking day
DeleteSusan Sarandon's kids will be fine.
DeleteChris Matthews is ripping into Trump. Trump is used to double talk, over talking anybody who questions him, avoiding the original question and changing the conversation. Not with Chris Matthews! Journalists and reporters needs to learn how to do their job from Chris.
ReplyDeleteChris surprised me! He did an outstanding job interviewing The Donald! I watched the entire thing.
DeleteHe'll probably go home n rip into malaria maybe even punish her. Haha. I know things like that really happen. Sorry.
DeleteTrump tried to change the subject about the Catholic church and how Chris is such a good Catholic. It almost worked but then Matthews got back on topic and didn't let Trump weasel out of the question.
DeleteChris Matthews did a good job TODAY in that interview with TRump. It was exceptional while at the same time (IMO) atypical of the msnbc pundit's normal approach for some as yooge as the trumpster.
DeleteGood for Chris!
dowl
Trump you have met your match.
ReplyDeleteOh my. It's only March and I have to say that this election is one for the history books.
ReplyDeleteThe more I hear from Donald Trump, I realize that he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He really has no idea what he is talking about on any issue.
Hopefully the Wisconsin primary will be the beginning of the end for Trump.
Reminds me of 2008 and a little known lying bitch from Waaaaahsilla!
DeleteHmmmm any cancelled czechs in Donald's background? Saw some of this on tv, Donald is having trouble figuring out what people want to hear. Watch his face, he'll say something outrageous, then you can see the cogs under his toupee moving around, he realizes this could be used against him, and then he half walks things back after vehemently saying "Yes, just the women".
ReplyDeleteIt's The Handmaid's Tale!
ReplyDeleteOnly if Cruz is elected.
DeleteRight now it's more like National Lampoon's Presidential Election.
Andy Borowitz posted today on Facebook, since updated biologically which killed it, Donald Trump vows to build a wall inside the uterus.
ReplyDeleteLove me some Andy. Yahoo News posted yet another "Borowitz Report" today as if it were fact. He giggled, and so do I.
Remember guys, nobody respects women more than Trump! If they must be punished, he'll just schlong them all. That would be far worse than 10 yrs incarceration!
ReplyDeleteAnd, trust him with your daughters.
DeleteNo. He'd consider that a reward.
DeleteHe'd have Cruz do it.
Mr Trump, once your wall is built who would you let in?
ReplyDeleteMexican women with kids
Mexican women you felt are ugly
Mexican women who are pretty
Rachel Maddow played tape of Trump's position to ban abortion and punish women who have one. Good for Rachel to speaking to Sanders and Clinton in a quick follow up. Sanders comment about Trump saying so etching stupid I took as Bernie meaning Trump says outrageous stupid things to dominate the news so everyone talks about him instead of focusing on issues. Personally I have no doubt that Trump seeks to dominate saying outrageous things then lie as if he did not say them. He is a master of games to play people.
ReplyDeleteI had chills down my spine listening to what Trump's position is on abortion.
Bernie Sanders doesn't think Trump's position on punishing women for having an abortion is newsworthy.
DeleteHe's already walking it back saying he'll go for the doctors.
DeleteWhy is no one going for the MEN that got the women pregnant? Why are the MEN never responsible for anything?
Seems to me that if one believes the termination of a pregnancy is the killing of an unborn person, then pursuing the doctor and woman for criminal behavior is logically consistent. I also think it's only logically consistent to not make exceptions.
ReplyDeleteI think this highlights the absurdity of criminalizing abortions, not the absurdity of what Trump said (except to the extent that he doesn't understand what he is saying).
I suppose if there are laws limiting abortion, it is better to not also pursue the mother and doctor criminally. But in a way, it also makes abortion more palatable (to some). There's a reason they didn't just pursue those who abort pregnancies with murder. They knew at a gut level that it wasn't the same thing - no matter what their rhetoric was. I wonder what would happen to abortion statutes of the argument that it's the killing of a person were actually taken to it's logical and literal conclusion. OF course, if I'm wrong, and people can tolerate it, then we'd it would, as Hilary said, being more horrible than you imagine.
PLEASE NOTE: I am not anti-abortion. I'm just playing professor for a philosophy course on being internally and logically consistent.
Logically and consistently letting wealthy women enjoy the privilege of safe, private abortions outside the USA while forcing less wealthy women to carry a fetus to term is a GOP specialty.
DeleteDo you have a uterus? This is a serious topic to those of us who do; it's not a tra la la subject for academic hypotheticals.
DeleteA regular woman's abortion is a rich republican woman's D and C for cramps.
Delete5:50 watch it there! Academic hypotheticals are at the heart of these arguments and foster logical clarity. Are you claiming to be anti-logic?
DeleteBravo, 5:50pm!
Delete@5:46 So perhaps they should pass a law that prevents pregnant women from traveling? or stop American citizens from traveling to get abortions? I agree. That would be logically consistent.
Delete@5:50 - I'm not clear your point. I think pointing out the absurd fallacy of their argument is good for those who want choice.
@6:19 - I wouldn't be surprised.
@5:50 - I don't see this as an academic hypothetical. This isn't asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. This is about laws that are on the books, and the inconsistency of the anti-abortion groups who are afraid of articulating the consequences of their position and beliefs. I imagine it is less about pregnancies, and more about controlling women's sexuality. But then, I'm not one of them, so I don't know.
Seeking consistency in a narrow focus makes it easy to be hypothetical. The reality is there is a glaring inconsistency in imposing abortion penalties on women too poor to enjoy the freedom of safe, private, LEGAL abortions by traveling to other countries. There's a nice target for academic contemplation. It might actually take some deep thought, instead of piddling with the trivial problem of pretending USA law controls women's choices.
DeleteI agree that if something is illegal, those who violate the law should be punished. I think this was a very bright move by Trump to show how wrong it would be to make abortions illegal. People seem to be thinking of the people they know who had abortions and realize they shouldn't have been punished.
DeleteYou are giving Trump a lot of credit, eclecticsandra.
DeleteTrump was pandering, nothing more.
Ethics is easy, if one takes moral principles in isolation. The problem is moral principles can and do conflict. E.G stealing is wrong. Letting an innocent human die is wrong. So what do you do if stealing a loaf of bread is the only way to feed your starving child?
DeleteThank you eclecticsandra7:09 PM. YOu said it better.
Delete#7:45 - Ethics is very difficult, because moral principles can and do conflict. That's why the anti-abortion people can't be consistent and haven't thought through their position.
DeleteMaybe the solution for Trump is to go after the father of the "unborn" child. Many abortions (not talking here about results of rape, incest, young adolescent girls, or physical danger to either mother or baby) take place because the mother has very few options and there is no man present to shoulder his share of the responsibility. They've fallen back on the fake argument: "she tricked me, so I don't have to be a father to the child."
DeleteBeaglemom
Bingo Beaglemom
DeleteMost women consider abortion because the men who impregnated them are nowhere to be found. That and everyone else in their lives feel they have humiliated themselves by becoming pregnant out of wedlock.
But there is something illogical in ONLY blaming the woman for the pregnancy. It takes TWO. And in no discussion I have heard from the anti-choice crowd have I heard one peep about blaming the perpetrator, I.E. sperm donor, holding him accountable or responsible nor anything about punishment.
DeleteThis is like the spoiled five year old pointing and screaming "She had it last!" to avoid the consequences.
The republicans NEED cannon fodder for their next war. How else to insure a steady supply unless you ban abortion? Just sayin.
ReplyDeleteGeorgiaPeach
The GOP'ers also need a steady supply of privatized schools, privatized social services, privatized prisons, and 'expendable' fodder for human sex-trafficking, specifically the trafficking of 'unwanted' damaged-by-the-system children whether male or female.
Deletedowl
And, trump does not rule out nuking Europe. This is what happens if you don't let trump take your land e.g, Scotland.
ReplyDeleteHe like palin keep retribution lists. If you are not nice to him, nukes for you.
Seriously, can't the Republicans pull him out now because he is not well.
Those "no-go" zones filled with brown people are the places Trump would nuke. Monaco, not so much.
DeleteWouldn't it be funny if a fetus is what took Donald down?
ReplyDeleteIf he's using $arah as an adviser, it's only a matter of time.
DeleteThis tells me, right here right now, t-rump's not serious about this campaign, he's looking for a way out and this is his means to that end ..
ReplyDeleteagreed
Deleteagreed
DeleteAgreed but his ego must be fed and he has to have someone to blame for his loss. What you end up with (Ted Cruz) is just as bad or worse. Trump by playing his "oh I could be president if I wanted" game and then winning so many delegates by surprise (his and ours) has narrowed the candidate field to someone so bent on destroying the government that he wants to be at the top to do it. As Lindsey Graham so eloquently put it, it's now a choice between poison or a bullet to the head.
Deletepeople have been saying this for months, and he is still in.
DeleteBoth sides in abortion debate pile on Trump
ReplyDeletehttp://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/274736-both-sides-in-abortion-debate-pile-on-trump
PANIC MODE! Trump Walks It Back
The Trump campaign quickly tried to walk back his comments afterward, saying the matter should be decided by the states. Later, Trump put out a statement that said his position was unchanged, but contradicted his past statements entirely:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-abortion-women-punishment_us_56fc2a99e4b083f5c606880d
And while the woman would be jailed or somehow punished, the guy who got her pregnant would be let off the hook. Of course.
ReplyDeleteGee, idea, just sterilize men.
DeleteWatch Ted Cruz Dodge the Abortion Criminalization Question
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediaite.com/online/watch-ted-cruz-dodge-the-abortion-criminalization-question/
Trump is just plain stupid. He has multiple bankruptcy. Just plain dumb.
ReplyDeleteOT: Watched Rachel interview Bernie Sanders. Her last question was about Hillary raising money for down-ballot Democratic candidates and if he (Bernie) would soon do the same. He dodged the question, didn't answer and would not commit to doing that. No ego, Bernie? He's raising money for HIS campaign, can't raise money for others. I was really disappointed in how he answered (or didn't answer) that question. He's not a Democrat, he feels he owes nothing to the party. Maybe I inferred something that wasn't there?
ReplyDeleteNope, I don't think that you inferred something that wasn't there.
DeleteNope. You're didn't infer anything. It's too much of a both for Sanders to consider whether he would help raise money for the Democratic Party and down-ticket races...Dems needed in office to enact a Democratic agenda.
DeleteHE'S NOT A DEMOCRAT! HE'S A BIGTIME MOOCHER.
DeleteHow does Bernie Sanders think he could get anywhere with Congress if it is not in the hands of the Democrats. To regain control of Congress will cost a lot of money. Campaigning is not easy and there are few who can contribute to the Democratic Party like the Kochs do to the GOP. If Bernie Sanders thinks he's going to convince the Republicans to embrace his notions of social democracy, then he's really got a problem - mentally.
DeleteBeaglemom
This proves to me that Sanders is not serious about being president. He is on the Ron Paul retirement plan.
DeleteIf he really thought he would be president, he would care about down-ballot candidates.
I also believe Sanders is a sexist.
Trump issued a statement saying he wouldn't punish the woman but would instead punish the doctor because the woman is a VICTIM. Thank you Mr. Trump for protecting me because apparently my uterus makes me unable to make responsible, personal decisions. Fuck you. I am not a victim.
ReplyDeleteOk, I have been wondering this the whole day... why would I be a victim because I was pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Seriously, I don't understand it, am I missing something. They keep saying that Repubs think women are victims, the only way they are victims are if they are rape or incest victims so are they saying those are the only legal abortions? I realize that is what they want but they are acting like all abortions are legal which we know is not true and certainly not what they want.
DeleteRemember when Sarah Palin explained her anti-abortion view? She says women are victims in this situation and men should step up to the plate and do the right thing. Sheesh. Save us from these idiots! My uterus is victimized in any shape or form. It is mine and the Goppers better remember this.
DeleteThey think women are intellectually, morally and spiritually incompetent to make their own health decisions - thus women are "victims." Only men know the holy path, right? THEY MAKE ME SICK.
DeleteLisaG at 8:02 pm. Trump had to backtrack immediately that's when he came up with the "woman as victim" stuff. As usual, he again put his foot into his mouth. Like many, many men, Trump does not think that a woman can made an informed decision for herself under any circumstances. He's also trying desperately to try to sound like he really cares about women.
DeleteTo men in the GOP, you should just all calm down and give up. Rowe v. Wade became the law of the land in the 1970's. It took some power away from you men and gave it to women. Accept it. We are capable of making fundamental decisions about our lives and we have the legal right to do so. This struggle has always been about power and control, not at all about "religion."
Beaglemom
Yes, Beaglemom -- and it's not only power over abortion. Religion is based on power over every aspect of a person's life. It is, essentially, slavery -- of mind and body. Why is there a single person, woman or man, who would want to be a slave?
DeleteGrowing up is the very word for it, as you say. To be an apostle is to be still a child who wants his daddy to take care of him. Make all his decisions, absolve him of responsibility, tell him what to think, what to do. (And if he doesn't obey, kill him as an infidel. Slave system in a nutshell.)
"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." "One" Corinthians 13:11
8:15 and then sarah daughter doesn't want dakota access to his daughter.
DeleteThis is Trump's MO. He says something off-the-cuff and then backtracks. I still can't believe his supporters like him because he's "honest" and "speaks his mind."
DeleteTrump’s Latest Convoluted Word Vomit On Abortion Is Absolutely Unconscionable
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediaite.com/online/donald-trumps-latest-convoluted-word-vomit-on-abortion-is-absolutely-unconscionable/
Watch someone try to top it by demanding retroactive convictions.
ReplyDeleteYep. But hasn't a state already tried that?
DeleteTrump can't help himself. He's just too stupid to be President.
ReplyDeleteTrump "I'm gonna work on it". About student debt. Wow such a plan.
ReplyDeleteTrump's remark opened up a flood of outrage. So, are we saying we're less outraged with the other candidates' plans [and GOP platform] to end legal abortion? Are they more palatable than Trump because they don't talk about punishing women? Or do we not know how to get traction unless one of them says something stupid?
ReplyDeleteLet abortion be a matter of conscience for them. They don't have to get one. It shouldn't be a matter to legislate. Women are not free, full citizens without the right to accessible, safe abortions.
Excuse me Mr. Trump but Canada's oil is not there for you to do with what you like. It's our oil--don't assume it's yours too!
ReplyDeleteThe handmaid's tale is looking less and less like fiction.
ReplyDeleteWell, to be fair, Matthews didn't get him to say women should be jailed. But if you can find an extended version of the interview on youtube or wherever, you can see Matthews set him up and get him to say the stupidest thing ever. He has no defense against someone smarter. None. And he'll say any stupid thing to just keep up in the conversation. Extremely Dim Wit.
ReplyDeletegeez, now you've made me have to look :(
DeleteWatch the video above to hear King discuss the charges, the blowback from his allegations and his interactions with Trump surrogate Sarah Palin.
ReplyDeletehttp://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/272068-rep-steve-king-trump-bought-support-from-conservatives
I have known very religious women who would never have an abortion. I have known very religious women who have aborted due to genetic issues, financial issues,family issues, and personal issues they will not discuss. I have also known women who are strictly pro-life because they felt forced into bearing children in uncomfortable situations - family and peer pressure. They went through embarrassment and other unpleasant circumstances due to bearing children when they were ill-prepared to do so. They married people they would have otherwise not married. Then they became staunch pro-lifers. I believe it is because they want other women to share the humiliation they endured. These are the women who will also support the anti-abortion platform. Unless, perhaps, it happens to their daughters who are also pregnant in less than ideal circumstances.
ReplyDeleteA middle-aged (like me) neighbor of mine very casually admitted to me that she habitually parks in places designated for parents with strollers- because hey when we were young mothers we didn't have special parking places.
DeleteIn those days people didn't drive huge SUVs for no good reason either.
Older women often remark on maternity leave (which we also didn't have) without the realization that young mothers these days fully expect that they're going to have to leave their babies with someone else and go back to work.
I had no maternity leave and I had to get a new job (because of course I had to quit my job, being pregnant and all) and go back to work when my only child was six weeks old- and I still grieve for that lost time. Why the hell would I wish that on every other woman?
Some women need a good swift kick up the arse.
My mother often told me how much she wanted to abort me. In the 1950s she had no choices about getting pregnant or having to birth me.
DeleteShe was a pro-choice advocate.
This interview is a perfect example of why little donnie only does phone interviews. I believe his whole campaign is to sell his stuff-wine, steaks, books and himself because he is an egomaniac.
ReplyDeleteIn a phone interview, he can have “advisors” telling him what to say behind the “curtain” because he has no policies or thoughts on any issue. In a face-to-face interview he is on his own and his back pedaling on the abortion issue is a great example of how donnie can’t think on his feet. They had to immediately run out and do damage control.
Chris should have slammed him, when donnie asked if he was Catholic. Chris should have told him I am not running for president, therefore my views are not important, but you are, so answer the question.
This is 2016; no wonder the rest of the world dismisses the USA. They are still discussing and fighting over an issue that was settled by the LAW/courts long ago, but gotta keep the power over those pesky women.
This topic is undebatable. Why? Because It has been decided!!. This procedure is a healthcare decision between doctor and patient. There are many reasons this female procedure is performed. In the male rump fantasy world, is the female morning after pill outlawed? Is the male birth control pill outlawed? Will child support be tripled? Is the common female D and C procedure outlawed? Donald trump should worry and perfect the rectal, penis and finger enhancement procedures. At his age he will be experiencing all of them. And be an expert to his own healthcare decisions. Now Go away mr trump, America does not need your deals. Women do not like you. Thank you for applying. Application and resume denied and YOU ARE FIRED.
ReplyDeleteI am so grateful to Donald for exposing the practical side of the pro-lifers efforts to make abortion illegal. Too bad Chris didn't follow up with how the rape and incest exceptions would work -I.e., does there have to be a prosecution and trial of the rapist before an abortion is approved?
ReplyDeleteThe next POTUS could appoint two or three justices. Despite the conservative talking heads trying to backtrack and say the issue is settled, the fact is Roe could be overturned.
All of the GOP candidates have said they want to make abortion illegal. Donald just did everyone a favor by exposing the logical conclusion.
Trump never said "jail" women who have abortions.
ReplyDeleteTrump never said he would nuke Europe, in fact he said NO.
Trump's oratory is sad enough without lying about what he said.
Another Sarah Palin moment via the tRump... last I knew abortion was still legal under Rove v Wade.
ReplyDeleteyeah I get that STATES are passing laws limiting access to abortions.
Trump is an empty shill, flip flops on issues, has no substance or intelligence to bring to the Oval Office. If there is a woman who would vote for this hippocrite, I hope she burns in hell.
10:29... No he said he would PUNISH women for having an abortion, and said he WOULD'NT take the cards OFF THE TABLE in regards to nuking Europe. Don't see any "LIES"... go troll somewhere else you ass.
ReplyDeleteThanks for proving me correct asshole liar.
DeleteHe was on howard stern years ago, said he was so proud Melania could count her birth control pill, and he was asked about Marla, she went to him and said "i'm pregnant" and he says "Well, what are you going to do about it?" Tiffany was three months old after the quickie divorce and shotgun marriage to Donald the Conservative's Conservative's anti choice champion.
ReplyDeleteThe man has no responsibility whatsoever.