Melania Trump, the former first lady and the wife of former United States president Donald Trump, voiced strong support for abortion rights in her upcoming memoir, according to The Guardian.
According to the British publication, Melania’s apparent remarks contrast with her husband and Republican presidential candidate’s position on the key US election issue.
In her memoir, named Melania, the 54-year-old former fashion model wrote that it is “imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government,” according to the newspaper.
Abortion is set to be a key issue in the November 5 presidential election and polls show that Trump’s Democratic rival Kamala Harris holds a significant lead over him on the topic with voters, AFP reported.
While Melania believes that US states should be free to decide their own restrictions on abortion, her 78-year-old husband may not agree with her.
Trump has frequently bragged on the campaign trail that his three Supreme Court picks paved the way for the 2022 overturning of the national right to abortion.
At least 20 states have since brought in full or partial restrictions, with Georgia banning most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes,” Melania reportedly wrote.
“Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life,” she added, according to The Guardian, which said it had accessed a copy of the memoir ahead of its publication next Tuesday.
