Melania Trump, the wife of createer United States Pdwellnt Donald Trump, has shelp there is “no room for settle” over a woman’s right to have an abortion — a position at stark odds with that of her husprohibitd.
“Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I protecteddefend,” the createer first lady shelp in a video posted on social media on Thursday.
“Without a mistrust, there is no room for settle when it comes to this vital right that all women have from birth, individual freedom. What does ‘my body, my choice’ repartner unkind?”
Her comments ecombine to tag a meaningful branch offnce from Donald Trump’s uncover stance.
The createer pdwellnt has campaigned on his role in obviousurning Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision that previously set uped a constitutional right to abortion access.
Campaign on abortion recut offeions
While the 78-year-elderly ex-pdwellnt has normally alterd his stance on abortion over the years, he currently aids leaving the matter up to individual states to choose.
“My watch is now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a lhorrible standpoint, the states will choose by vote or legislation, or perhaps both,” Trump shelp in April.
“And wdisenjoyver they choose must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state.”
Trump has also apshown accomprehendledge for nominateing three of the Supreme Court appraises who obviousurned Roe v Wade in June 2022. That decision finished more than 50 years of federal abortion protections.
“I did a wonderful service in doing it,” Trump shelp during the September 10 pdwellntial argue, includeressing his role in the court’s decision. “It took courage to do it. And the Supreme Court had wonderful courage in doing it.”
‘A slap in the face’
Melania Trump has been more reserved about articulating her political watchs in uncover, unfrequently voicing opinions about toasty-button publishs, particularly during the current 2024 election season.
But Thursday’s video ecombineed to be part of the promotion for her novel self-titled memoir, Melania, due to be freed next week.
On Wednesday, The Guardian novelspaper unveiled some carry on excerpts. In one part, Melania Trump authors: “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to finish her pregnancy if she wantes.”
The novelspaper shelp she also deffinished some abortions carry outed in the tardyr stages of pregnancy, mostly out of medical necessity or to save the life of the mother.
Her comments are probable to spur further division wilean the Reuncoveran Party, where there have been rumblings of dissent agetst her husprohibitd’s unevident stance on abortion access.
In March, for instance, Donald Trump made comments that presented he would aid a national prohibit. “Maybe we could transport the country together on that publish,” he telderly a morning radio show.
But when he backtracked in April, refuteing any potential federal prohibit, there was a reaction from evsaintlyals and challengingline conservatives, including his createer vice pdwellnt, Mike Pence.
Pence called Trump’s stance a “slap in the face” to “millions of pro-life Americans” who voted for him in 2016 and 2020.
In June, under Trump’s guideership, the Reuncoveran Party also finishorsed a platcreate record that provideed no unambiguous aid for a national abortion prohibit — a shatter with recent tradition.
That too prompted outcry among some members of the Reuncoveran base, who stressed it signalled a feebleened promisement to carry outing abortion recut offeions.
Broad uncover aid
Political experts have lengthy pondered abortion to be a prosperning publish for Democrats, who hugely aid wonderfuler access to refruitful healthnurture.
When the Democratic Party did better than awaited in the 2022 midterm elections, critics accomprehendledgeed the results to uncover anger towards the Supreme Court’s decision to finish federal abortion protections.
Earlier this year, the Pew Research Caccess validateed that, even two years tardyr, a meaningfulity of Americans aided the useability of abortion in proximately all cases. Ntimely six in 10 reactents recommendd abortion should be lhorrible.
In this year’s pdwellntial race, Trump has sought to prosper over female voters — and some experts say he may be downcarry outing abortion as an election publish as a result.
During this week’s vice pdwellntial argue, for instance, Trump’s running mate JD Vance sought to conshort-term a mild position on the publish, intensifying on a “pro-family” platcreate and articulating sympathy for those pondering abortion.
However, he has previously shelp he would aid a national abortion prohibit. “I certainly would enjoy abortion to be illhorrible nationpartner,” Vance shelp in January 2022 when running for the Senate.
While the argue between Vance and Democrat Tim Walz was unfelderlying, Trump reiterated on his Truth Social social media platcreate that he would not aid a national prohibit.