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

Melania Trump, the wife of former United States President Donald Trump, has said there is “no room for compromise” over a woman’s right to have an abortion — a position at stark odds with that of her husband.

“Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard,” the former first lady said in a video posted on social media on Thursday.

“Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth, individual freedom. What does ‘my body, my choice’ really mean?”

Her comments appear to mark a significant divergence from Donald Trump’s public stance.

The former president has campaigned on his role in overturning Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision that previously established a constitutional right to abortion access.

Campaign on abortion restrictions

While the 78-year-old ex-president has frequently changed his stance on abortion over the years, he currently supports leaving the matter up to individual states to decide.

“My view is now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both,” Trump said in April.

“And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state.”

Trump has also taken credit for appointing three of the Supreme Court judges who overturned Roe v Wade in June 2022. That decision ended more than 50 years of federal abortion protections.

“I did a great service in doing it,” Trump said during the September 10 presidential debate, addressing his role in the court’s decision. “It took courage to do it. And the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it.”

Former first lady’s eponymous memoir Melania is due to be published next week [File:Alex Brandon/AP Photo]

‘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.

But Thursday’s video appeared to be part of the promotion for her new self-titled memoir, Melania, due to be released next week.

On Wednesday, The Guardian newspaper published some advance excerpts. In one part, Melania Trump writes: “A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.”

The newspaper said she also defended some abortions performed in the later stages of pregnancy, mostly out of medical necessity or to save the life of the mother.

Her comments are likely to spur further division within the Republican Party, where there have been rumblings of dissent against her husband’s ambiguous stance on abortion access.

In March, for instance, Donald Trump made comments that suggested he would support a national ban. “Maybe we could bring the country together on that issue,” he told a morning radio show.

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.

Broad public support

Political experts have long considered abortion to be a winning issue for Democrats, who largely support greater access to reproductive healthcare.

When the Democratic Party did better than expected in the 2022 midterm elections, critics credited the results to public anger towards the Supreme Court’s decision to end federal abortion protections.

Earlier this year, the Pew Research Center confirmed that, even two years later, a majority of Americans supported the availability of abortion in nearly all cases. Nearly six in 10 respondents indicated abortion should be legal.

In this year’s presidential race, Trump has sought to win over female voters — and some experts say he may be downplaying abortion as an election issue as a result.

During this week’s vice presidential debate, for instance, Trump’s running mate JD Vance sought to present a moderate position on the issue, focusing on a “pro-family” platform and articulating sympathy for those considering abortion.

However, he has previously said he would support a national abortion ban. “I certainly would like abortion to be illegal nationally,” Vance said in January 2022 when running for the Senate.

While the debate between Vance and Democrat Tim Walz was unfolding, Trump reiterated on his Truth Social social media platform that he would not support a national ban.