Melania Trump has a memoir coming out next week and although much of it will be the standard historical fluff about her childhood, her career as a "model," coming to America and her marriage to Donald, there is a section that is making waves - and may not make MAGA happy at all.
Melania is PRO CHOICE. Not just pro choice, but firmly behind a woman deciding to terminate a pregnancy at any point.
In an excerpt released to the media ahead of the book release, she wrote:
“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.”
Well, that is going to ruffle some feathers in the far right, where Melania has been often elevated to the status of the perfect wife - docile, beautiful, mostly silent, a doting mother who stays home.
HOW DARE SHE COME OUT IN FAVOR OF A WOMAN MAKING HER OWN CHOICES?
Her decision to express such a full-throated support for abortion rights is pretty shocking, considering she is married to the man who took away a woman's right to choose my placing 3 far right Justices on the Supreme Court who voted to overturn Roe v Wade. Trump has long taken credit for this overturning, but that clearly is diametrically different than what his own wife believes,
In the memoir she also says:
“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.”
After giving her support to the abortion movement, she outlines reasons why women may want to terminate a pregnancy, which include danger to the life of the mother, rape or incest, often exceptions under state bans, and also “a congenital birth defect, plus severe medical conditions”.
She even DEFENDED late term abortions, saying "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.”
In one of the most shocking sections, she asks for EMPATHY for women who have had abortions, saying:
"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."
She closes by saying that she supports abortion rights protestors:
“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 Trump, pro-choice advocate.
Not what I had on my bingo card for election 2024.
