For the majority of the 2016 GOP presidential campaign season billionaire businessman Donald Trump has proven to be the Teflon candidate. Nearly every single misstatement and misstep has simply slid right off him. However, as he nears the magic 1,237 delegate number he needs for nomination, his latest misstatement concerning punishing women who have an abortion may prove disastrous.
On Wednesday, the GOP delegate front-runner was being interviewed by MSNBC’s liberal attack dog Chris Matthews about Trump’s views on abortion. Trump, who was badgered by Matthews about his position finally responded with, “There has to be some form of punishment” for abortion if it were banned in the U.S.”
Trump had said that abortion should be banned which is a perfectly legitimate pro-life position. What is not a pro-life position, is his stating that punishment should fall on the woman. It is that last statement which was uttered by Trump that has created a frenzy of anger on both sides of the abortion issue.
While Trump would never have received any votes or support from the pro-abortion voters across America, it is his misstatement about pro-life supporters being in support of punishing women who obtain abortion that may lose him support by them. His statement is not true and in fact pro-life supporters and stringent advocates have encouraged understanding and support for the women, many of whom are young teens who are facing a life altering decision.
The life in the womb is an innocent and the woman who is carrying the unborn child and makes a decision to abort the child is often haunted for the rest of her life for taking her unborn child’s life. Huffington Post reported that, Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund agrees. She stated, “Women who choose abortion often do so in desperation and then deeply regret such a decision. No pro-lifer would ever want to punish a woman who has chosen abortion. This is against the very nature of what we are about.”
What the Donald has shown in this particular serious misstatement is either a serious lack of understanding concerning what it means to be pro-life or perhaps he was speaking without considering the harm he was inflicting on the prolife movement. In either case, he must understand or be made to understand by his political handlers helping the mother carrying the child to make the correct decision of carrying the unborn baby to term is as important as protecting the life of the unborn child.
Punishment and fear are not the techniques that should be used but compassion and understanding should be the tools of choice. It is understandable that Trump’s campaign had to move with all deliberate speed to walk back the candidate’s statements. His campaign released a statement which said in part that his official position was that the matter of abortions should be decided by the states.
Some conservative pundits and Trump supporters are stating that the GOP presidential delegate leader should have known better than to have gone into the political lion’s den in an interview with “Gotcha Question King” Matthews. He has been known to offer up a litany of questions that are laced with political bait that unprepared respondents have fallen for. But Trump, who has risen in the polls with his off the cuff remarks in interviews, was rolling the dice in a game of which Matthews has owned the outcome for years.
What Trump’s answer to Matthews’ unrelenting line of questions may end up providing is a potential silver lining for the prolife movement. Whatever the political outcome or impact on Trump, abortion and prolife is now for the moment at the top of the political discussion board. Personhood for the unborn and the very protection of the unborn’s constitutional rights can now take center stage in the current public media discussion.
As for Trump, perhaps one way for him to learn about the prolife position is to spend time with mothers who have made the decision to support life over having an abortion. That is a welcoming reality that the reality entertainment king should become more familiar with. Trump must learn the truth about prolife. Failure to do so means his Silence is Betrayal to the truth.
Image: Donald Trump via photopin (license)
