Melania Trump makes an extraordinary declaration in her eagerly awaited memoir, set for release a month before election day: she is a passionate supporter of a woman’s right to control her own body, including the right to abortion, accoring to 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,” writes the Republican nominee’s wife, in the midst of a campaign where Donald Trump’s threats to women’s reproductive rights have been central.
“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.”
Melania Trump has rarely shared her political views in public. Her book, Melania, which reveals her to be at odds with much of her party, will be published in the US next Tuesday.
Her decision to include a full-throated defense of abortion rights is remarkable, given her proximity to a Republican candidate running on an anti-abortion platform and the erosion of reproductive rights under Donald Trump and the GOP.
In 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson, three justices appointed during Donald Trump’s presidency voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that had protected federal abortion rights since 1973. Republican-led states have since instituted severe abortion bans.
Donald Trump has tried to balance taking credit for the Dobbs decision—long the goal of evangelical and conservative Catholic voters—and deflecting the backlash by saying abortion rights should be decided by individual states.
However, Democrats have notched several electoral victories by focusing on the issue, even in conservative states, and threats to reproductive rights, including fertility treatments like IVF, have proven problematic for Republicans.
Among many statements from Republicans that critics have labeled misogynistic and regressive, JD Vance, Donald Trump’s vice-presidential pick, has suggested support for a national abortion ban—a position apparently at odds with his boss’s wife.
Donald Trump recently wavered on whether he would support abortion rights in Florida this November, a ballot also being cast by his wife at their Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach. Ultimately, he said he would vote no, but Melania’s words suggest she will likely vote yes.
Her memoir, which is slim and focuses largely on her youth in Slovenia, modeling career in New York, and her love for the man who became her third husband, features little discussion on policy. Donald Trump has provided a blurb, praising her “commitment to excellence … insightful perspective … [and] entrepreneurial achievements.”
Before discussing abortion, Melania reveals that she disagreed with her husband on some aspects of immigration policy, especially as an immigrant herself.
“Occasional political disagreements…”
“Occasional political disagreements between me and my husband,” she writes, are “part of our relationship, but I believed in addressing them privately rather than publicly challenging him.”
Yet later, she states views on abortion and reproductive rights that are fundamentally opposed to those of her husband and the GOP.
“I have always believed it is critical for people to take care of themselves first,” Melania Trump writes. “It’s a very straightforward concept; in fact, we are all born with a set of fundamental rights, including the right to enjoy our lives. We are all entitled to maintain a gratifying and dignified existence.
“This common-sense approach applies to a woman’s natural right to make decisions about her own body and health.”
Trump says her beliefs about abortion rights are grounded in “a core set of principles,” centered on “individual liberty” and “personal freedom,” on which there is “no room for negotiation.”
Detailing “legitimate reasons for a woman to choose to have an abortion,” she includes danger to the life of the mother, rape or incest (often exceptions in state bans), and also “a congenital birth defect or severe medical conditions.”
Emphasizing that “timing matters,” Melania Trump also supports the right to later-term abortions.
“It is important to note that historically, most abortions conducted during the later stages of pregnancy were the result of severe fetal abnormalities that likely would have led to the death or stillbirth of the child. Perhaps even the death of the mother. These cases were extremely rare and typically occurred after several consultations between the woman and her doctor. As a community, we should embrace these common-sense standards. Again, timing matters.”
90% of US abortions occur before 13 weeks
According to CDC data, over 90% of US abortions occur at or before 13 weeks of gestation, and less than 1% occur at or after 21 weeks.
On the campaign trail, Republicans have frequently mischaracterized Democratic positions on abortion. Last month, during a debate with Kamala Harris, Donald Trump falsely claimed his opponent’s “vice-presidential pick … says that abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine. [Tim Walz] also says: ‘Execution after birth’—execution, no longer abortion because the baby is born—is OK.”
He was fact-checked: it is not legal in any state to kill a baby after birth.
Following news of Melania Trump’s support for abortion rights, Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, released 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.”
The Trump campaign did not immediately comment.
On social media, Melania Trump doubled down, posting a short video paraphrasing remarks from her book.
In her memoir, Melania Trump makes an appeal for empathy.
“Many women opt for abortions due to personal medical concerns,” she writes. “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.”
Recent reports have highlighted cases of women who have died in states where abortion has been banned.
Melania also calls for compassion
“When confronted with an unexpected pregnancy, young women often feel isolated and under significant stress. I, like most Americans, support the requirement for juveniles to obtain parental consent before undergoing an abortion. I realize this may not always be possible. Our next generation must be provided with knowledge, security, safety, and solace, and the cultural stigma associated with abortion must be lifted,” she writes.
Finally, she expresses solidarity with pro-choice protesters.
“The slogan ‘My Body, My Choice’ is typically associated with women activists and those who align with the pro-choice side of the debate,” she writes. “But if you really think about it, ‘My Body, My Choice’ applies to both sides—a woman’s right to make an independent decision involving her own body, including the right to choose life. Personal freedom.”
