Melania Trump defends abortion rights in her upcoming memoir, according to Guardian report
WASHINGTON - Former First Lady Melania Trump defended the right to an abortion in her upcoming memoir and wrote that the government should not interfere in a woman’s right to choose, according to an exclusive report by the Guardian.
“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,” Trump writes in her book Melania which will be released on Oct. 8.
Her views are in stark contrast with those of her husband, former President Donald Trump, who has celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade on the campaign trail and said he’s proud to be the “most pro-life president” in history.
Abortion is a top issue in the 2024 election.
“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,” she adds, according to the report.
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USA TODAY could not independently verify the Guardian's report.
But in a new X post shared on Thursday, Trump said in a video clip that "without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to these essential right that all women possess at birth: individual freedom."
Donald Trump has expressed varying views on the issue of abortion, most recently saying on Truth Social that he would veto a national abortion ban after indicating in March that he is open to a 15-week federal abortion ban. He argued in April that abortion legislation should be left up to the states.
Harris-Walz 2024 spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement that, "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."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Report: Melania Trump defends abortion rights in upcoming memoir