Former first lady Melania Trump reveals in an upcoming memoir that she supports women’s right to choose.
Trump shockingly says she has “carried this belief with me my entire adult life.”
The Guardian has obtained a copy of her book Melaniawhich will be released on Tuesday and reported on Wednesday that she has very different views on abortion than former President Donald Trump, the current Republican candidate.
“It is imperative to ensure that women have autonomy in deciding their childbearing preferences, based on their own beliefs, free from any government interference or pressure,” the former first lady wrote.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” she asked. ‘A woman’s fundamental right to individual freedom over her own life gives her the power to terminate her pregnancy if she so chooses.’
Former first lady Melania Trump (left) revealed in her upcoming memoir that she has been pro-choice for years. This admission comes as former President Donald Trump (right) is widely credited with the erosion of abortion rights in the United States
“Limiting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is like denying her control over her own body,” Trump said.
“I have carried this belief with me my entire adult life,” she added.
This admission raises eyebrows after she says in the book that “occasional political disagreements between me and my husband” are “part of our relationship.”
‘[B]But I believed in addressing them personally rather than challenging him publicly,” she said.
Later in the book she explains why she supports abortion rights.
“I have always believed that it is critical that people take care of themselves first,” she said. ‘It’s a very simple concept; In fact, we are all born with a number of fundamental rights, including the right to enjoy our lives.”
“We all have the right to a fulfilling and dignified existence,” she continued. “This common sense approach applies to a woman’s natural right to make decisions about her own body and health.”
Trump is widely credited with setting the table that enabled the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court ruling that gave women the federal right to abortion.
The Republican candidate appointed three of the conservative justices who signed the 2022 Dobbs decision, which killed Roe.
While that was applauded by the anti-abortion wing of the Republican Party, it was also the former president who realized that the Republican Party was now in political danger because of that stance.
Since then, abortion rights ballot initiatives have been successful and Republicans underperformed in the 2022 midterm elections, likely because abortion was such a hot topic.