Melania defends abortion as Donald Trump says states should decide, Guardian reports
Adds Harris campaign quote in paragraph 9
By Costas Pitas
LOS ANGELES, Oct 2 (Reuters) -Melania Trump writes in her upcoming memoir that a woman has the right to an abortion, The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday, while her husband, Donald Trump, backs the ability for U.S. states to restrict the procedure.
"Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?" Melania Trump writes in her memoir that is due to be published four weeks before the Nov. 5 election, in which her husband faces Democrat Kamala Harris.
"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 was reported as writing in the memoir.
The Guardian said it has obtained a copy of the book, titled "Melania," that is due to be published on Oct. 8. A spokesperson for the former first lady did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Donald Trump, a Republican, had previously signaled support for a national ban beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy but in April said political considerations were paramount in the first presidential election since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, ending a nearly 50-year federal right to the procedure.
Trump says abortion laws should be decided by the states and backs exceptions to a ban on abortion in the case of rape, incest and to protect the mother's life.
Polls show the presidential election is a tight race with seven battleground states likely to decide the outcome.
Democrats see abortion rights as a popular issue for Harris to use against Trump. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from August 21-28 found a majority of voters, including 34% of Republicans, want the next president to protect or increase abortion access.
“Sadly for the women across America, Mrs. Trump’s husband firmly disagrees with her and is the reason that more than one in three American women live under a Trump Abortion Ban that threatens their health, their freedom, and their lives," a Harris campaign spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Trump takes credit for the Supreme Court overturning the Roe v. Wade decision in 2022, which had protected a right to abortion at up to around 24 to 28 weeks, because justices appointed by Trump swung the vote.
Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Eric Beech and Michael Perry
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
