'There has to be some form of punishment' for abortion, Trump says

“When you say you want abortion to be illegal, does that mean you think women and doctors should be made into criminals?” That’s a question most opponents of abortion really don’t want to answer—usually because the answer is yes, but “I would make it a crime for women to control their bodies” would not exactly win you a lot of friends. Donald Trump, who has come only recently (and very conveniently) to his anti-abortion stance, doesn’t seem to have gotten that memo.

Matthews then pressed Trump on whether he believes there should be punishment for abortion if it were illegal

“There has to be some form of punishment,” Trump said. “For the woman?” Matthews asked. “Yeah,” Trump said, nodding.

Trump said the punishment would “have to be determined.”

Punishment to be determined. Fines? Prison time? Time in the stocks to be erected in the town square under a Trump presidency?

It’s easy to say oh, it’s Donald Trump, he doesn’t really mean it, he’s just posturing for the Republican base. But that’s the thing: He’s saying this for a reason. And he’s saying something other Republicans believe more sincerely than he does, even if they know better than to admit it publicly. So this should be the beginning of this particular discussion. What does Ted Cruz think? What about John Kasich, running as a moderate but with a long record of attacks on reproductive rights? For that matter, what does every “pro-life” Republican Senate candidate think about this issue? Voters deserve to know.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both speak for me on this one.

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse. Horrific and telling. -H https://t.co/Qi8TutsOw9

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 30, 2016

Your Republican frontrunner, ladies and gentlemen. Shameful. https://t.co/y49Z8YfRgV

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 30, 2016