Why the up roar over Trump's statement about Abortion?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

Prior to Roe vs Wade abortion was a criminal act in every state. Criminals can be prosecuted. Some DA’s might not have gone after the woman. But that was strictly a judgement call. Perhaps a political one too.

Repeal the Roe vs Wade court decision and the existing state laws *Immediately *go back into effect. .So yes, woman can and might be prosecuted. Commit a criminal act and you can be prosecuted.

Which is why those of us that support a woman’s right to choose are fighting so hard to prevent the gradual erosion of Roe vs Wade. States are constantly finding clever ways to interfere. Waiting periods, parental consent requirements, limiting access to the day after pill, almost anything they can dream up to force a woman into becoming a walking incubator. God help us if Roe vs Wade gets struck down.

Why is Trump so wrong? Assume he stacks the Supreme Court with conservatives and Roe vs Wade gets struck down. Who’s going to tell prosecutors in all 50 states they can’t prosecute these abortion cases?

Yeah it sucks, and I sure as hell hope we can protect Roe vs Wade. But I don’t see where Trump misspoke.

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#2

Technically he’s right, but there’s very little popular support for prosecuting women for having abortions. As a result, even anti-abortion people shy away from taking that position, because it would undermine their popular support. So they’re annoyed that Trump took that position because it tends to undermine them.

Meanwhile the pro-choice people love attacking that position, because it plays into their hands.

So Trump gets it coming and going, attacked from both sides.

A more skilled politician would be aware of this and would never have said that, however logically consistent it is. But that’s not Trump.

#3

There have been persistent rumors Trump is pro choice. He can’t admit that and run on the Republican ticket.
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This could have been a clever way to remind everybody whats at stake in protecting Roe vs Wade. just a WAG on my part

I know it seems unlikely a Presidential candidate would take this move. Most politicians avoid the issue altogether. But Trump isn’t your typical candidate.

#4

I think it’s just tone deaf. Trump already has a misogynistic reputation, which is well deserved in my opinion. Now he talks about punishment for women making choices with their own bodies. Yes, he meant if abortion is made illegal, then there should be punishment for breaking the law. However, it’s an emotional topic, and only natural that all some people focus on is, “Let’s punish women who have abortions.”

Is this true? In the Wikipedia article, it says, "n 1973, abortion was prohibited entirely in 30 states and legal in limited circumstances (such as pregnancies resulting from rape or incest) in 20 other states. 30 plus 20 looks like every state to me. However, farther down it shows on a map that abortion was legal on request in Washington, New York, Alaska, and Hawaii.

#5

I’ve always wondered if, pre Roe v. Wade, states punished women who had abortions, or if they punished the doctors who performed them, or neither, or both.

Somewhat relevantly, it appears lately that in some states that have passed the strictest abortion regulations (viz, Tennessee), they are indeed prosecuting women for attempting to abort.

#6

I thought it was all 50 states.

But if not, then I stand corrected. These state laws were written over 70 to 80 years ago. By mostly white, older male legislators. Imagine how misogynist they are. They’ve never been updated because they were voided by Roe v Wade…

I’d hate to imagine them going back into effect. Yes, they could be and would be rewritten but that takes time.

#7

He’s not getting flack for a factual statement of what would happen, he’s getting it for a statement of opinion that should happen.

… and then flip flopping by walking that back mere hours later.

… and for flop flipping in the first place by being pro-choice originally and changing only because it was more profitable.

#8

He’s turning off more and more women voters. He’s playing to a rabid part of the base in order to win the primaries, but he’ll lose the general because of it.

I’m not inclined to believe the claims that he’s running in order to throw the election to the Democrats, but I can almost see where someone might think that.

#9

Trump in 1999: “I’m very pro-choice.”


Trump says “it’s possible” he donated to Planned Parenthood but he’s not sure.

It seems pretty obvious that he’s just playing this role since he decided to run for the Republican nomination. If he had decided to run as a Democrat I guess he would have stuck with his earlier statements.

#10

Oh, how I wish I could believe that Trump’s entire campaign is an exercise in reverse psychology.

#11

I think this is the real key issue here. Conservatives have to walk a fine line on the abortion issue. They have to establish their anti-abortion bona fides to win over the religious conservative vote. But they also want to alienate as few women voters as possible. So they’re trying to pretend you can somehow criminalize abortions without criminalizing the people who have abortions.

#12

There aren’t persistent rumors that Trump has been pro-choice - it’s well known and admitted by him.

That said, the number of people who are voting for Trump because of his prior pro-choice positions is likely in the neighborhood of zero. Even Trump has to realize that. So your speculation makes no sense.

#13

I feel it’s more likely this was just a typical gaffe. Trump’s been spouting off whatever he thinks his supporters want to hear but he misread the crowd on this one and had to walk it back.

#14

Trump is just making it all up as he goes along. He’s probably never thought thru the pro-life position and didn’t know what to say. Which is why he had to have a spokesperson retract it just a few hours later.

#15

While I’m rabidly pro-choice, there should be consequences for this.

#16

Thats why I’m so baffled by the pro life movement’s opposition to the day after pill. I wish it was more widely available. It can drastically reduce the need for abortion. It certainly can reduce instances of dangerous back alley abortions.

But they don’t see it that way. So the battle for a woman’s right to choose continues.

#17

My opinion is The Donald got a LOT of heat from The Melania, explaining this, the first walk-back of the campaign.

#18

I don’t get the uproar either. He’s already come out as being against abortion, so this just adds some context to an odious belief we already know he holds. Even if he was pro-choice at one point, he isn’t anymore, so this just hammers it home.

We’ve had debates on this very board where pro-life people have demanded that women who have abortions be charged with murder. Even a little probing shows this isn’t a benevolent position. Maybe Republicans are mad because he let that particular cat out of the bag?

#19

Wrong to begin with. It was perfectly legal in many states, including New York.

#20

And hammers home to all but his supporters that he’s just as prone to change his position to fit the audience as any other politician. Exceeeeept: his fans profess to support him over evil, evil politicians (everyone but him) because he “tells it like it is” and doesn’t kow-tow or flip-flop. :smack::rolleyes: