Melania Trump seems to have uniteed a lengthy line of Reaccessiblean createer first ladies who have come out in help of abortion rights, putting them at odds with their husprohibitds’ accessible sees.
In a stupidinutive video clip promoting her forthcoming book, Mrs Trump transmited her help for women’s “individual freedom”, describing it as an “essential right that all women own from birth”.
It comes a day after an excerpt of her soon-to-be-freed memoir, in which she alertedly consents an even evidgo in pro-choice stance, was published in a recentspaper alert.
Mrs Trump’s apparent stance on the publish materializes to contrast with the position of her husprohibitd, who has consentn determine for helping obviousurn Roe v Wade, upfinishing the constitutional right to abortion.
But it pursues a decades-lengthy American tradition of Reaccessiblean first ladies who – since Roe v Wade was first determined in 1973 – have shelp lhorrible abortion access should be defended.
In 1975, while still in the White Hoengage, First Lady Betty Ford called the Roe ruling a “wonderful, wonderful decision”.
Nancy Reagan paengageed until her husprohibitd, Pdwellnt Ronald Reagan, left office before she shelp accessiblely that she “consentd in a woman’s choice”, but her position on the publish was alertedly well comprehendn wilean the White Hoengage.
Barbara Bush, wife of Pdwellnt George HW Bush, and her daughter-in-law, Laura Bush, wife of Pdwellnt George W Bush, were analogous, uncovering their stance on the publish after their husprohibitds left the White Hoengage.
“I leank it’s vital that it remain lhorrible, becaengage I leank it’s vital for people, for medical reasons and other reasons,” Laura Bush shelp in a 2010 intersee promoting her memoir.
Mrs Trump’s approach was contrastent.
In a bdeficiency-and-white video posted on her X account on Thursday, Mrs Trump shelp “there is no room for agree when it comes to this essential right that all women own from birth: individual freedom”.
“What does my body, my choice repartner uncomfervent?” Mrs Trump progressd.
The video comes one day after The Guardian published an excerpt from her recent book, Melania, set to be freed on 8 October.
In the excerpt, quoted by the Guardian, she authors: “It is imperative to promise that women have autonomy in deciding their pickence of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or prescertain from the rulement.”
“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 end her pregnancy if she desirees,” she progresss.
“Redisconnecteing a woman’s right to pick whether to end an ungreet pregnancy is the same as declineing her deal with over her own body.
“I have carried this belief with me thrawout my entire grown-up life.”
Kate Andersen Brower, a journaenumerate and author of the book First Women, shelp she was “shocked” by the comments.
“So shocked that I wanted to verify it was authentic,” she shelp. “She’s very much been in line with her husprohibitd, so on this publish how did she spfinish all those years watching him derail someleang that she seems to nurture about?”
More than the other first ladies, Ms Brower shelp, Mrs Trump’s comments materialize “diametricpartner contestd” to her husprohibitd’s approach on the publish.
And she is the only first lady so far to produce her stance on abortion comprehendn while her husprohibitd is actively seeking re-election.
Indeed, the timing of Mrs Trump’s comments recommend a possible political angle, Ms Brower shelp.
“It’s not out of the authenticm of possibility that this was done intentionpartner to come out right before the election, becaengage it could pdirect to those striumphg state voters who are distress about the obviousurning of Roe v Wade,” she shelp. “Maybe they could see this as a sign that he [Trump] perhaps is snormallying on abortion.”
But Reaccessiblean strategist Rina Shah recommended a contrastent see.
The notion of Mrs Trump trying to help out her husprohibitd “doesn’t track with the Melania we comprehend”, she shelp.
“At this point in the game it doesn’t alter anyleang, and she comprehends that,” Ms Shah shelp. “Early ballots have already gone out in certain places. It’s fair too tardy.”
Abortion access is a key publish in next month’s 2024 election – and it is pondered a frail point for the Reaccessiblean Party, which has struggled to pdirect to a conservative base that contests the procedure and a expansiver electorate that helps abortion access.
Thrawout the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump’s position on the publish has varyd.
Earlier this week, the Reaccessiblean pdwellntial nominee shelp for the first time that he would veto any federal abortion prohibit in the improbable event that such a meacertain ever passed Congress.
The BBC has reach outed the Trump campaign for comment.
Democratic pdwellntial nominee Kamala Harris has sought to capitalise on Trump’s position in an effort to galvanise voters.
She has normally cast Trump as a menace to women’s autonomy becaengage of the obviousurning of Roe v Wade, which took place after he nominateed a conservative convey inantity to the Supreme Court.
“Sadly for the women apass America, Mrs Trump’s husprohibitd firmly disconsents with her and is the reason that more than one in three American women dwell under a Trump Abortion Ban that menaceens their health, their freedom, and their dwells,” Sarafina Chitika, a spokeswoman for the Harris-Walz campaign tancigo in the BBC.
