In a video posted to social media, Melania Trump confirm a report from The Guardian stating that she voices support for abortion rights in her new memoir, “Melania,” set to be released on Tuesday, Oct. 8th (preorder: HERE).
The video from Mrs. Trump comes shortly before the November election, with former President Donald Trump failing to reveal his position on abortion rights consistently. Vice President Kamala Harris said during her debate against Trump last month that the former President would pass a national abortion ban; however, earlier this week Trump said he would veto a national abortion ban. Trump has insisted that states having the right to determine abortion laws is “where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint.”
Melania Trump says in the video posted to her X account : “Individual freedom is a principle that I safeguard. Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth. Individual freedom — what does my body, my choice really mean?”
According to the Guardian report (which obtained a copy of Melania’s memoir), the former first lady writes that “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. 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. 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.”
According to the Guardian, Mrs. Trump also writes that there are “legitimate reasons for a woman to choose to have an abortion”(including rape or incest, the mother’s life being at risk, congenital birth defects and severe medical conditions). She noted that “many women opt for abortions due to personal medical concerns. These situations with significant moral implications weigh heavily on the woman and her family and deserve our empathy. Consider, for example, the complexity inherent in the decision of whether the mother should risk her own life to give birth.”
Harris campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement: “Sadly for the women across America, Mrs. Trump’s husband firmly disagrees with her and is the reason that more than one in three American women live under a Trump abortion ban that threatens their health, their freedom, and their lives. Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear: If he wins in November, he will ban abortion nationwide, punish women, and restrict women’s access to reproductive health care.”
Editorial credit: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com
