A possible vice presidential running mate for Donald Trump said on Sunday that women should have the right to abortion.
Retired Gen. Michael Flynn seemed to struggle for an answer when ABC News’ Martha Raddatz asked for his position on abortion. But he made his position clear.
“I think for women ― these are difficult issues ― I think women have to be able to choose what they ― sort of the right of choice,” Flynn told her on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
“I think that’s a difficult legal decision and I think that women are so important in that decision-making process,” he continued. “They are the ones that have to make the decision because they’re the ones that are gonna decide to bring up that child or not.”
Flynn said he didn’t know if he was being vetted to be Trump’s running mate but he was honored to be part of the discussion.
Like with most issues, Trump’s position on abortion varies from day to day. He said in March that “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions. He seemed to say in April that he didn’t favor overturning laws that make abortion legal. In May, he vowed to appoint anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court if he wins the presidency.
In 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain shied away from choosing Democrat-turned-Independent Joe Lieberman as his running mate because of conservative ire over Lieberman’s pro-choice views.
Anti-abortion groups are not pleased. Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement that Flynn has “disqualified himself” from the vice presidency.
“His pro-abortion position is unacceptable and would undermine the pro-life policy commitments that Mr. Trump has made throughout the campaign,” Dannenfelser said.
This piece has been updated to include Dannenfelser’s statement.
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.
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