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Friday 4 OctOber 2024

Melania Trump says she supports abortion rights, putting her at odds

with the GOP

confused voters and sowed
Continued from Front distrust.”
Melania Trump also defends
“Individual freedom is a abortions later in pregnancy,
fundamental principle that asserting that “most abor-
I safeguard,” she said in the tions conducted during the
video. “Without a doubt, later stages of pregnancy
there is no room for com- were the result of severe fe-
promise when it comes to tal abnormalities that prob-
this essential right that all ably would have led to the
women possess from birth: death or stillbirth of the child.
individual freedom. What Perhaps even the death of
does ‘my body, my choice’ the mother.”
really mean?” “These cases were extremely
The video appears to con- rare and typically occurred
firm excerpts of her self-titled after several consultations
memoir reported by The between the woman and
Guardian on Wednesday. her doctor,” she writes.
Melania Trump has rarely These views appear dia-
publicly expressed her per- metrically opposed to her
sonal political views and has husband, who has often par-
been largely absent from the roted misinformation about
campaign trail. But in her abortions later in pregnancy,
memoir, set to be released Melania Trump, wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump walks to the stage as falsely claiming that Demo-
publicly next Tuesday, she Donald Trump introduces her during the opening day of the Republican National Convention in crats support abortion “after
argues that the decision to Cleveland, July 18, 2016. birth,” though infanticide is
end a pregnancy should Associated Press outlawed in every state.
be left to a woman and her Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law pro-
doctor, “free from any inter- severe deterioration of re- abortion rights. spond to a request for com- fessor at the University of Cali-
vention of pressure from the productive rights as abortion “Sadly for the women across ment Thursday about Mela- fornia, Davis School of Law
government,” according to bans were implemented in America, Mrs. Trump’s hus- nia Trump’s book or video. who focuses on reproductive
the published excerpts. large swaths of the country band firmly disagrees with her Alexis McGill Johnson, presi- rights law and history, said
“Why should anyone other following the overturning of and is the reason that more dent and CEO of Planned it is unclear if the memoir’s
than the woman herself the landmark case, which than one in three American Parenthood Action Fund, release so close to the elec-
have the power to deter- had granted a constitutional women live under a Trump said the memoir is another tion was an attempt to help
mine what she does with right to abortion. Abortion Ban that threatens example of “the Trumps play- Donald Trump. But she did
her own body?” she wrote, The national abortion group their health, their freedom, ing voters like a fiddle.” “As note that Melania Trump’s
according to The Guardian. SBA Pro-Life America de- and their lives,” Harris cam- president, (Trump) made it his split from Trump on the issue
“A woman’s fundamental nounced the former first paign spokesperson Sarafina mission to get Roe v. Wade is not uncommon historically.
right of individual liberty, to lady’s views on abortion, Chitika said in a statement. overturned,” she said in a There is “a pretty deep his-
her own life, grants her the including her comments on “Donald Trump has made statement. “Melania stood tory of first ladies being more
authority to terminate her abortion later in pregnancy, it abundantly clear: If he by him, never once publicly supportive of abortion rights
pregnancy if she wishes.” but said their “priority is to de- wins in November, he will disavowing his actions until than their husbands,” includ-
Melania Trump writes that feat Kamala Harris.” ban abortion nationwide, weeks before an election ing Betty Ford, a vocal abor-
she has “carried this belief “Women with unplanned punish women, and restrict where our bodies are again tion rights supporter and the
with me throughout my en- pregnancies are crying out women’s access to repro- on the ballot and they are wife of former President Ger-
tire adult life.” for more resources, not more ductive health care.” losing voters to this issue. ald Ford, Ziegler said.
These views contrast sharply abortions,” the organiza- Donald Trump on Tuesday Read between the lines.” Donald Trump promoted his
with the GOP’s anti-abortion tion’s president Marjorie Dan- said he would veto a federal Democratic strategist Brit- wife’s book at a September
platform and with Donald nenfelser said in a statement abortion ban, the first time tany Crampsie called the rally in New York, calling on
Trump, who has repeatedly to the AP. “We must have he has explicitly said so after memoir’s release a “clear supporters to “go out and
taken credit for appointing compassion for them and previously refusing to answer attempt to appeal to more get her book.” It is unclear
the three Supreme Court for babies in the womb who questions on the subject. moderate voters and to if the former president has
justices who helped overturn suffer from brutal abortions.” Abortion rights advocates moderate JD Vance’s very read the book.
Roe v. Wade and boasted Vice President Kamala Harris are skeptical, however, say- clearly extreme views on the “Go out and buy it,” he told
about returning the abor- ‘ campaign noted Trump’s ing Trump cannot be trusted issue.” But she is skeptical the crowd. “It’s great. And
tion question to the states. role in ending Roe v. Wade not to restrict reproductive that the move would work if she says bad things about
Democrats have blamed in a statement reacting to rights. in favor of Trump, saying his me, I’ll call you all up, and I’ll
the former president for the Melania Trump’s defense of Trump’s campaign did not re- shifting views “have already say, ‘Don’t buy it.’”q