Donald Trump's "Some Form of Punishment" for Abortion Comment Isn't Going Over Well

Another day, another eruption of outrage in response to inflammatory comments by Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Speaking to MSNBC's Chris Matthews, the politician asserted his pro-life stance; it was his answer to Matthews' question — "Do you believe in punishment for abortion, yes or no?" — that drew ire on Twitter.

Read more: Donald Trump Endorses "Some Form of Punishment" for Women Who Get Abortions

"The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment," Trump said, adding that he didn't know what that might be yet. Shortly thereafter, "Some Form of Punishment" began trending on Twitter. Trump later flip-flopped on his statements, saying he's only in favor of punishment for health care providers who perform illegal abortions. 

Whereas the candidate was once firmly pro-choice, since throwing his hat in the presidential ring he's come out as aggressively pro-life, calling Roe v. Wade — the court decision that legalized abortion in 1973 — the beginning of the country's slide into "a culture of death" in a January op-ed he penned for the Washington Examiner. 

Whether or not he believes what he's saying doesn't really matter — his putting it out there provides a platform for the people who do. Which is perhaps why Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton quickly tweeted a condemnation of his "horrific and telling" comments.

It was a popular sentiment. Many Twitter users were quick to point out that, in many ways, the country already punishes women for abortion. 

Others wondered whether we were living in biblical times or 2016.

Some wanted to know whether Trump would extend that line of thinking to the men who helped to create these unwanted pregnancy situations in the first place.

And still others would like to know if we couldn't find "some form of punishment" for Trump's transgressions.

Like, for example, disqualification from the presidential race.

Failing that, others urged their followers not to vote for the "unhinged" Trump.

Noting the terrifying logic in his statement — which comes out of the right's effort to criminalize a woman's right to choose — they identified what a terrifying prospect having Trump in the White House is.

The prevailing opinion, though, is that Trump is a "fucking idiot" who spews "hate vomit" as a means of grabbing media attention. Whether or not that's true, there's still a real possibility that this man becomes president in 2017.