Planned Parenthood ad hits Trump for abortion punishment comment

Planned Parenthood’s political arm on Thursday released a video ad attacking Donald Trump as “too dangerous for women.”

{mosads}The 30-second ad from Planned Parenthood Action blasts Trump for saying earlier this year that women should be punished for getting abortions — a comment he later walked back.

The video shows clips of the Republican presidential nominee saying that he’s “pro-life” and that “Planned Parenthood should absolutely be defunded.”

“When it comes to health, politicians shouldn’t make decisions for us,” reads on-screen text at the opening of the ad.

Planned Parenthood Votes is partnering up with Priorities USA, a pro-Hillary Clinton super-PAC, to run the digital ads in North Carolina, Nevada and Pennsylvania as part of a seven-figure campaign against Trump.

“Donald Trump’s history of making disparaging and offensive remarks about women is unmatched,” Anne Caprara, executive director of Priorities, said in a statement. 

“To him, women are ‘disgusting’ ‘fat pigs’ who deserve to be punished for having an abortion, are ‘dangerous’ if they work outside the home, and are second-class citizens in the workplace.”

In March, Trump was asked during an MSNBC interview whether he would seek to ban abortion and how he would enforce it.

“The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment,” Trump said.

“For the woman?” MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked.

“Yeah, there has to be some form,” Trump responded.

Trump later the same day released a statement walking back his remarks.

“If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law, the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman,” he said in the statement. 

“The woman is a victim in this case as is the life in her womb. My position has not changed — like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions.”

Deirdre Schifeling, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, said in a statement that the Republican ticket would be “dangerous” for the country, and vowed not to let Trump and Mike Pence ”strip rights away from the women of America.”

“This is the most anti-woman ticket we’ve seen in decades,” Schifeling said. “Donald Trump would ban abortion, defund Planned Parenthood, and even make it more difficult to access birth control.” 

“His running mate Mike Pence has been on a personal crusade to end women’s access to basic health care for a decade — putting countless women at risk in his home state of Indiana and nationwide.”

– Updated at 12:14 p.m.