Former first lady Melania Trump has drawn criticism from the pro-life movement after sharing her pro-abortion views in her upcoming memoir and in a video message on social media site X.
In their homonymous memories Melaniawhich will be published on October 8, a month before Election Day, the former first lady writes about her life, her family, her time in the White House and briefly about her support for legal abortion. Some excerpts from the book were published by The Guardian on Wednesday night.
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“It is imperative to ensure that women have the autonomy to decide their preference to have children, based on their own convictions, free from any government intervention or pressure,” wrote Melania Trump, the second Catholic first lady in US history. in the autobiographical book.
“Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?” added Melania Trump. “A woman’s fundamental right to individual freedom, to her own life, gives her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she so 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,” he wrote. “I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.”
On Thursday, Melania Trump reiterated this position in a video published on Xwhich promoted the memoirs.
“Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom,” she said. “What does ‘my body, my choice’ really mean?”
Former President Donald Trump, who faces Vice President Kamala Harris in his bid for a second non-consecutive term in the White House, responded to his wife’s comments without endorsing or repudiating them.
“We talked about it and I told him, ‘You have to write what you believe, I’m not going to tell you what to do,’” Donald Trump told Fox News reporter Bill Melugin.
“I told him, ‘You have to stay with your heart,’” Donald Trump added. “I’ve told everyone: ‘You have to go with your heart.’ There are some people who are very, very far right on the issue, that is, without exceptions. And then there are other people who see it a little differently than that.”
The pro-life movement responds to Melania Trump
Many leaders in the pro-life movement have expressed frustration over Melania Trump’s comments on abortion. Some pro-life advocates are still focused on ensuring a victory for Donald Trump over Harris, while others express dismay at the campaign’s move away from pro-life values.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement provided to EWTN News’ CNA that the organization’s top priority “is defeating Kamala Harris and the Democrats’ push for demand at the national level unlimited abortion on demand financed by all taxpayers.”
However, Dannenfelser took issue with Melania Trump’s comments, saying: “Women with unplanned pregnancies are crying out for more resources, not more abortions.”
“We must have compassion for them and for the babies in the womb who suffer brutal abortions,” he added. “Tens of thousands of abortions a year are performed on children after the point where they can feel excruciating pain.”
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life Action, told CNA that “the bottom line is that it’s not just her body at that moment” when a woman is pregnant, adding: “Two people or maybe more are there.”
“Melania Trump had the opportunity to inspire in her book, but instead she chose to push a failed feminism that puts women at war with their own bodies,” Hawkins continued. “I will not buy a copy of the book.”
Some pro-life activists have offered harsher criticism of Donald Trump’s campaign following Melania Trump’s comments.
The president of Live Action, Lila Rose, stated in a post on X that Melania Trump and Harris have “functionally the exact same position on abortion.” At the end of August, Rose indicated that maybe he wouldn’t vote for Donald Trump because his campaign hadn’t been pro-life enough.
Robert P. George, a jurist at Princeton University and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said in a Facebook post he shared with CNA that he believes Melania Trump’s comments on abortion were provoked by Donald Trump’s campaign.
“The campaign sent it to signal to pro-abortion voters that the ‘abortion right’ would be fully protected in a second Trump administration,” George said. “His message is that Donald, having thrown pro-life Americans under the bus, will keep us under the bus.”
“His record has been to say little or nothing on political issues,” he continued. “Now, suddenly, he is posting videos in which he passionately states that the protection of abortion, including late-term abortion, must be the highest priority. “Things like that don’t happen overnight.”
George told CNA that he thinks Harris is “even worse on abortion” and “shockingly terrible” on that issue.
What is the candidates’ position on abortion?
Donald Trump named three of the six Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wadeallowing states to restrict abortion and pass pro-life laws. In his 2024 campaign, the former president has sought to moderate the Republican Party’s approach to abortion and has attempted the difficult task of maintaining the support of the pro-life voting bloc without alienating independents and moderates.
Earlier this week, said in a post on X that he would veto any legislation that prohibits abortion “because it is up to the states to decide, based on the will of their voters.” He stated that Democrats support the “radical position of late-term abortion… in the seventh, eighth or ninth month (of pregnancy).”
Harris supports a federal law which would legalize abortion nationwide, at least up to the point of viability, which occurs around the 23rd or 24th week of pregnancy. He has not said whether he supports restrictions on late-term abortion.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, signed a bill which further solidifies the state’s abortion laws, which allow abortion throughout pregnancy, including the ninth month, for any reason. Signed another bill that reduced legal protections in the case of a baby born alive after a failed abortion attempt.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Tyler Arnold
Tyler Arnold is a reporter for the National Catholic Register. He previously worked at The Center Square and has published in a variety of outlets, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative, and The Federalist.