In her memoir, “Melania,” Donald Trump’s wife asserts that she supports women’s reproductive rights, including the right to abortion, The Guardian reported.
In her book, set to be released Oct. 8, Melania Trump wrote: “It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government."
Melania Trump's purported support for a women's right to make choices about her body comes as her husband, the Republican nominee for president, is struggling to win over voters angry over his role in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The GOP candidate has tried to strike a more moderate tone on abortion, even as he backs state-level bans, although anti-abortion activists have said they believe he's still their "fighter."
While the former first lady has been scarcely seen in public as of late, she remains a vital campaign operative as Trump struggles to garner the support of women voters in the 2024 elections. In a video last month, she spoke about the attempted assassination of her husband and implied there was an elite conspiracy to have him killed.
However, in her book, excerpts of which were obtained by The Guardian, Melania Trump stakes out a position on abortion rights at odds with her own husband and his party.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes," the book states. “Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life."
It is unclear what Melania Trump intends with this October intervention in the world of politics. But CNN suggested Thursday that money could be a main driver, reporting that the former first lady's publisher demanded a $250,000 payment in exchange for an interview about the book.
