Melania Trump says she supports right to abortion, in break from husband

Melania Trump, the spouse of the late US President Donald Trump, has expressed that there is "no room for compromise" about a woman's right to an abortion—a stance that is diametrically opposed to her husband's.

The former first lady declared in a video that was shared on social media on Thursday that "individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard."

When it comes to individual freedom, which is a fundamental right that all women have from birth, there is definitely no place for compromise. What exactly does "my body, my choice" mean?

Her remarks seem to represent a substantial departure from Donald Trump's stated position.

The former president ran on his involvement in overturning the Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade, which had previously established a constitutional right to obtain an abortion.

In April, Trump stated, "My view is that the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both, given that we have abortion where everyone wanted it legally."

"And whatever they determine has to become national law." The state statute in this instance.

In addition, Trump claims credit for having appointed three of the justices on the Supreme Court that reversed Roe v. Wade in June 2022. More than 50 years of federal protections for abortion were terminated by that ruling.

In reference to his involvement in the court's ruling, Trump stated, "I did a great service in doing it," during the presidential debate on September 10. It was a brave thing to do. And in doing so, the Supreme Court showed incredible bravery.

‘A slap in the face’

Melania Trump has been more reserved about articulating her political views in public, rarely voicing opinions about hot-button issues, particularly during the current 2024 election season.

However, it seems that Thursday's video was meant to serve as a preface for her upcoming memoir, Melania, which would be published the following week.

The Guardian newspaper released some advance text on Wednesday. Melania Trump states in one passage that a woman has the freedom to end a pregnancy if she so chooses because of her fundamental right to individual liberty.

According to the publication, she also supported some late-term abortions, most of which were carried out for medical reasons or to preserve the mother's life.

Her remarks are probably going to cause more rifts within the Republican Party, as there have been murmurs of disapproval regarding her husband's unclear views on abortion rights.For example, Donald Trump stated in remarks from March that he

But when he backtracked in April, rejecting any potential federal ban, there was a backlash from evangelicals and hardline conservatives, including his former vice president, 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 leadership, the Republican Party also approved a platform document that offered no explicit support for a national abortion ban — a break with recent tradition.

That too prompted outcry among some members of the Republican base, who feared it signalled a weakened commitment to implementing abortion restrictions.