Melania Trump has shaken up American politics by openly defending the right to abortion, a position that contrasts with that of her husband and presidential candidate, Donald Trump.
In a preview of her memoir, which will be published a month after the US elections and to which the British newspaper The Guardian has had exclusive access, Melania Trump says that supporting women’s right to decide about their bodies “is a belief that I have held on for my entire adult life.
“It is imperative to ensure that women have the autonomy to decide their preference in having children, based on their own beliefs, without any government intervention or pressure,” he says, ahead of first of the text published by Tutor.
The former first lady of the United States asks “why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” and states that “a woman’s fundamental right to individual liberty, to her own life, gives her the power to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.”
“Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether or not to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is tantamount to denying her control over her own body,” he criticizes.
These brutal statements, which came in the middle of the electoral campaign, surprised American voters and analysts, because it is not common for Melania Trump to speak publicly on political issues.
Melania’s opinion on this issue comes into direct conflict with Donald Trump’s policies. During his presidential term, the United States Supreme Court, comprised of a majority of conservative justices appointed by him, overturned the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling, which for nearly 50 years protected women’s rights to terminate their pregnancies in the country. This decision led to the restriction, or even complete ban, of the right to abortion in many conservative states.
Furthermore, in recent weeks the Republican candidate has adopted an ambiguous and controversial position on this subject, which is one of the central points of the campaign.
In August, the former president suggested in an interview with NBC News that he would vote in Florida for an amendment that would enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution and repeal the current ban on abortion. of pregnancy at six weeks. However, a day later, he said on Fox News that he would vote no on the amendment.
Trump justified his change in position by arguing that six weeks is not enough time for a woman to make an informed decision about her pregnancy, but he also said the amendment was “too permissive.”
Democrats, led by current Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris, have sharply criticized Trump for his support for a six-week abortion ban, calling it “extreme,” noting that many women don’t even know they are pregnant at the time. .
Harris noted that “Trump just made his position on abortion very clear: He will vote to uphold a ban so extreme that it applies before many women even know they are pregnant.”
