printIn defense of Donald Trump’s outlandish abortion comments; Republicans themselves are vague and confusing on the matter. I’ve never heard a Republican say outright that “only the person performing the abortion should be punished.” If this is the official GOP position, it seems as bizarre as Trump’s statement. I can see why he was confused. Why punish service provider and not service seeker?! (Don’t tell me; spare me.)
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has withdrawn a call for women who have abortions to be punished, only hours after suggesting it.
He had proposed “some form of punishment” for women who have abortions if they were made illegal.
But after strong criticism, Mr Trump repeated the Republican party line that only the person performing the abortion should be punished, not the women.
The Republican front-runner supports a ban on abortions, with some exceptions.
Abortion has been legal in the United States since 1973 after a landmark Supreme Court ruling.
Only the Supreme Court or a constitutional amendment has the power to overturn Roe v Wade and make abortion illegal.
I would have thought that Republicans ought stick to reality. In America, “women have the right de jure to screw and scrape out their insides to their heart’s content.” The only question is, should taxpayer rights, especially the rights of the anti-abortion faithful, be compromised to fund the procedure.
I would have thought that Republicans ought to explain that when feminists and their media lickspittles speak of “abortion rights,” they mean federal funding for abortion. Nothing else. A “right” to undergo an abortion is to be distinguished from a right to federal funding of your abortion. Don’t conflate “abortion rights” with federal funding for abortion.
More about the distinction in “From Benghazi To The Abortion Killing Fields.”
But Republicans have, understandably, confused Mr. Trump. By now, Trump, however, should no longer be winging it.