Melania Trump is facing harsh criticism from anti-abortion Republicans for explicitly defending abortion rights in her upcoming memoir.
According to an early copy of the book obtained by The Guardian, the former First Lady supports abortion rights despite her husband’s efforts to reduce abortion protections during his presidency.
Following is the passage in question and contested by some Republicans: “Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” wrote Melania. “A woman’s fundamental right to individual freedom, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she so desires”.
It was, in fact, Donald Trump who appointed the three justices, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, who strengthened the conservative majority on the Supreme Court, paving the path for overturning Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed and protected access to abortion nationwide for more than 50 years.
However, Trump has opposed a nationwide abortion ban, stating that he would veto such a measure if elected, since he believes the choice should be left to individual states.
Criticism of such statements by the former First Lady came immediately, especially from very conservative and pro-life groups, in particular Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, criticized Melania on X, calling it “wrong”.
“Melania Trump’s support of abortion is anti-feminist and clearly outside the teaching of our Catholic faith […] What a lost opportunity to inspire a generation of young women”, she wrote.
Allie Stuckey, conservative commentator, political podcast host and anti-abortion activist, labeled the former First Lady’s position “disgusting” and “incoherent”.
This decision by Melania could potentially undermine Trump’s support, as anti-abortion activists have been fierce supporters of the campaign, GOP strategist Liz Mair stated.
“This could be another reason for pro-lifers to think, ‘I can’t support this guy.’ A lot of them were already single-issue voters,” Mair detailed. “He’s not giving them much incentive to commit to him”.
On the other hand, speculation also suggests that it could be a campaign ploy to help bring the more moderate voters under the GOP tent, those who would like to believe that her influence might soften the GOP and her husband’s harsh line on abortion. In her four years as First Lady Mrs. Trump rarely made her political positions known, the sudden revelations on crucial issues such as immigration and abortion are anomalous.
The Washington Post suggests that “In the final stretch before Election Day, Republicans are ramping up efforts to distance themselves from the restrictive abortion positions that have defined their party since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade — scrambling to soften, or appear to soften, their hard line positions.” Melania Trump’s assertion that she is in favor of abortion could be part of this strategy.
At its root, the issue of reproductive rights ranks second in priority for American voters, according to a Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll released Sept. 26; at the moment Kamala Harris has a 2.8 percentage point lead over Trump. Melania’s pronouncements on the subject could have a determining effect, whether towards victory or defeat remains to be seen.
