Former first lady Melania Trump reveals in her memoir that she supports abortion and a woman's right to choose, saying the decision should be "free from any intervention or pressure from the government" - a stance in stark contrast to policies now in place in many states after her husband's Supreme Court picks helped overturn of Roe V. Wade.
"Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? ," she writes in the memoir, "Melania," according to a copy of the book obtained by the Guardian.
"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," she continued.
Former President Donald Trump has touted on the campaign trail that he appointed three justices on the Supreme Court that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade in 2022, noting that the issue is back in the states where he believes it belongs.
His wife, in the book that will be published Oct. 8, four weeks before Election Day, asserts a woman's right to choose free of government interference.
"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," she said.
"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," Melania Trump said.
"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," she continued.
Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has come under criticism by the Kamala Harris campaign on whether he would sign a national abortion ban if he wins in November.
After the issue came up again during the vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance and Tim Walz, Trump went on X to declare he would be against a national ban.
"EVERYONE KNOWS I WOULD NOT SUPPORT A FEDERAL ABORTION BAN, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WOULD, IN FACT, VETO IT, BECAUSE IT IS UP TO THE STATES TO DECIDE BASED ON THE WILL OF THEIR VOTERS (THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE!)," he said in the all-caps posting.
EVERYONE KNOWS I WOULD NOT SUPPORT A FEDERAL ABORTION BAN, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WOULD, IN FACT, VETO IT, BECAUSE IT IS UP TO THE STATES TO DECIDE BASED ON THE WILL OF THEIR VOTERS (THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE!). LIKE RONALD REAGAN BEFORE ME, I FULLY SUPPORT THE THREE…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2024
