GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said Wednesday that women who get abortions should receive "some form of punishment" if abortion is banned, without elaborating on what that punishment should be.
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In a heated exchange with MSNBC host Chris Matthews at the taping of a town hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Trump described himself as "pro-life with three exceptions." He has said many times that he is in favor of exceptions in the case of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at risk.
When asked whether abortion should be banned, Trump replied, "There has to be some form of punishment."
Pressed by Matthews on the nature of that punishment, Trump responded, "I haven't determined what the punishment should be."
Trump has been criticized by some conservatives for his flip-flop on the issue of abortion, and has said that his stance has evolved. At a Fox News debate last August, Trump said: "I've evolved on many issues over the years. ... Ronald Reagan evolved on many issues."
