Four days after the Supreme Court disallowed astate regulation limiting the availability of abortion, presumptiveRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump expressed hisoutrage during a Thursday appearance on Mike Gallagher'sconservative talk show.

“If Scalia was still living or if Scalia was replaced by me,”said Trump, “you wouldn't have had that. It would have been theopposite.”

Although Trump's sentiments did notdeviate from his campaign's previously-stated policies, thespecific wording nonetheless confused some commentators because the5-3 verdict meant another vote of dissent would not have been ableto directly affect the majority.

The candidate further declared that, under a Trumpadministration, the Supreme Court's support of pro-life measureswould be assured. “You won’t even have to question. You wouldn’teven have to bother going to court. You’re going to know theanswers.”

The statements further inflamed pro-choice advocates alreadyconcerned that the candidate's dismissive attitude could roll backcurrent protections. According to Planned Parenthood official DawnLaguens, Trump “will fight to take away the very rights the SupremeCourt just ruled this week are constitutional and necessary healthcare.”

The fiercely-debated case concerned a 2013 Texas law thatrequired abortion clinics be assessed according to the standardsordinarily applied to surgical facilities while doctors conductingthe procedure must be granted admitting status by area hospitals.In the years after the legislation was enacted, the number of stateclinics offering abortions decreased by half.

Justice Stephen Breyer's majority opinion found “neither ofthese provisions offers medical benefits sufficient to justify theburdens upon access that each imposes. Each places a substantialobstacle in the path of women seeking a pre-viability abortion,each constitutes an undue burden on abortion access, and eachviolates the federal Constitution.”

Now that Senate Republicans have vowed to defeat any SupremeCourt appointment nominated by President Obama, the question ofScalia's replacement threatens to become a signal battlefieldbetween Trump and Hillary Clinton.

Shortly after the court handed down its decision on Monday,Clinton, the presumptive Democratic candidate, tweeted: “This fightisn't over: The next president has to protect women's health. Womenwon't be 'punished' for exercising their basic rights.”

Throughout a surprisingly dominant campaign, Trump has beendogged by questions regarding his views on this historicallycontroversial subject. Previously, the candidate's off-handedremarks had intimated that women could face prosecution forprocuring abortions should the practice be criminalized.