Melania Trump has done her best to stay out of the spotlight throughout her husband’s presidential tenure and political career. Now, in a memoir titled Melania set to be published a month before election today, she has openly chosen a side in America’s abortion wars.
The Guardian obtained a copy of the memoir, and published the former – and possibly future – First Lady’s pro-abortion declaration:
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. 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. 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.
Considering the fact that the memoir is quite short, primarily focusing on her childhood in Slovenia and her work as a New York model, Melania has made a remarkable and no doubt politically deliberate decision to declare her support for feticide during the home stretch of an election that has been largely defined by the post-Roe battle over abortion. Despite being a Catholic, she writes that her support for abortion is part of her “core set of principles” that include “personal freedom” and “individual liberty,” and adds that on these issues, there is “no room for negotiation.” She writes:
I have always believed it is critical for people to take care of themselves first. It’s a very straightforward concept; in fact, we are all born with a set of fundamental rights, including the right to enjoy our lives. We are all entitled to maintain a gratifying and dignified existence. This common-sense approach applies to a woman’s natural right to make decisions about her own body and health.
Indeed, after detailing the many reasons she believes legal abortion is necessary – including rape, incest, “congenital birth defect,” “severe medical conditions,” or danger to the mother’s health – she goes on to defend late-term abortion, as well, repeating standard Planned Parenthood talking points almost verbatim:
It is important to note that historically, most abortions conducted during the later stages of pregnancy were the result of severe fetal abnormalities that probably would have led to the death or stillbirth of the child. Perhaps even the death of the mother. These cases were extremely rare and typically occurred after several consultations between the woman and her doctor. As a community, we should embrace these common-sense standards. Again, timing matters.
This is not the case – in fact, most late-term abortions are performed on healthy babies. But Melania goes on to claim that abortion is fundamentally necessary and must be completely normalized in a passage that is utterly unapologetic:
Many women opt for abortions due to personal medical concerns. These situations with significant moral implications weigh heavily on the woman and her family and deserve our empathy. Consider, for example, the complexity inherent in the decision of whether the mother should risk her own life to give birth. When confronted with an unexpected pregnancy, young women frequently experience feelings of isolation and significant stress. I, like most Americans, am in favor of the requirement that juveniles obtain parental consent before undergoing an abortion. I realize this may not always be possible. Our next generation must be provided with knowledge, security, safety, and solace, and the cultural stigma associated with abortion must be lifted.
The slogan ‘My Body, My Choice’ is typically associated with women activists and those who align with the pro-choice side of the debate. But if you really think about it, ‘My Body, My Choice’ applies to both sides – a woman’s right to make an independent decision involving her own body, including the right to choose life. Personal freedom.
Melania’s decision to endorse the Democratic position on abortion is another blow to pro-lifers, and yet more evidence that the Trump family was never pro-life. It is true that Donald Trump honored his deal with the pro-life movement in 2016; it is also true that Eric Trump told the press during the RNC that his father had always remained in favor of abortion, nonetheless. Eric’s wife Lara, the current co-chair of the Republican National Convention, is also firmly in the pro-abortion camp. When asked about their views, Donald Jr. and Eric have been careful to only condemn late-term abortion.
Donald Trump himself, of course, has been pivoting on the issue for months now, and in the wake of the vice-presidential debate affirmed, in an all-caps statement on X, that he will veto any federal abortion legislation that comes across his desk. If the Trump family continues to run the Republican Party, it seems clear that they intend to transform the GOP into a pro-abortion party. Melania has certainly endorsed that.
The Republicans made a huge mistake in selecting Trump as their nominee, especially when they had the opportunity to select far better candidates both in 2016 and this time. I think if I were living in the US I would be looking at voting for one of the smaller parties’ candidates. I would never support Harris.
Both she and her husband need prayers for conversion and to turn away from the Death Culture.
The Republicans made a huge mistake in selecting Trump as their nominee, especially when they had the opportunity to select far better candidates both in 2016 and this time. I think if I were living in the US I would be looking at voting for one of the smaller parties’ candidates. I would never support Harris.