Former US First Lady Melania Trump strongly supports abortion rights in her memoir, which is due out Tuesday, according to the Guardian, an unexpected stance on a hot-button issue for the presidential election, in which her husband, Donald Trump, is a candidate.
"Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her body? A woman's fundamental right to individual liberty (...) gives her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes," she wrote in an op-ed published Wednesday by the British daily.
Women must be "free from any intervention or pressure from the government," insists the Republican candidate's wife.
"Restricting a woman's right to choose to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have held this belief my entire adult life," she added, according to the British newspaper, which explained that it had access to a copy of her memoirs, which are scheduled for publication on Tuesday.
In a black-and-white video released Thursday, Melania Trump, who is in the midst of promoting the book's release, is more evasive.
"Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I protect, without a doubt. There is no room for compromise in this essential right that women have from birth. What does it really mean, 'My body, my choice'?" she asks, echoing the great slogan of the fight for the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy (VTP).
The issue of abortion is central to the November 5 duel between Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
The latter's campaign team also reacted to Melania Trump's comments. "Unfortunately for women across America, Ms. Trump's husband strongly disagrees with her," Kamala Harris campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika said in a statement.
"That's why more than one in three American women are living under Trump's abortion ban, which threatens their health, their liberty, and their lives," she added.
The former president believes that each state should be free to decide for itself on possible restrictions regarding abortion.
Many southern states have banned or severely restricted abortions since the Supreme Court in June 2022 overturned a precedent that protected this right nationwide.
The Republican candidate has often congratulated himself on having contributed to this decision by appointing three conservative justices to the Supreme Court during his term.
While public opinion is overwhelmingly in favor of abortion rights, Donald Trump has, however, somewhat adjusted his position on the issue.
The Republican candidate is now trying to present himself as a defender of "reproductive rights," which has led to accusations from conservatives of having betrayed the anti-abortion movement.
Kamala Harris is campaigning vigorously on the defense of abortion rights and, according to polls, is considered much more credible than her rival on the issue.
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