Trump says punish women for illegal abortions, then back-tracks

US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has withdrawn a call for women who have abortions to be punished, only hours after suggesting it. He had proposed "some form of punishment" for women who have abortions if they were made illegal.

Mr Trump is very unpopular among female voters

But after strong criticism, Mr Trump repeated the Republican party line that only the person performing the abortion should be punished, not the women.

The Republican front-runner supports a ban on abortions, with some exceptions. Abortion has been legal in the United States since 1973 after a landmark Supreme Court ruling. 

Only the Supreme Court or a constitutional amendment has the power to overturn Roe v Wade and make abortion illegal.