Melania Trump signals support for abortion rights

Former first lady Melania Trump appears to have signalled her support for abortion rights in a video promoting her upcoming book.

In the short video clip, Mrs Trump expresses her support for women's "individual freedom", describing it as an "essential right that all women possess from birth".

It comes a day after an excerpt of her soon-to-be-released memoir, in which she reportedly takes on an even clearer pro-choice stance, was published in a newspaper report.

Mrs Trump's apparent support of abortion access puts her at odds with the position of her husband, who has taken credit for helping overturn Roe v Wade, which upended roughly 50 years of protections for women's reproductive rights.

In the black and white video posted on Mrs Trump's X account, she said "individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard".

"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 continued.

"What does my body, my choice really mean?" Mrs Trump questioned.

The video comes one day after The Guardian published an excerpt from her upcoming book, Melania, due to be released on 8 October.

In the excerpt, quoted by the Guardian, she writes: “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," she continued.

“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.”

Abortion access is a key issue in the upcoming 2024 election - and it is one that is the subject of major debate within the Republican party.

That is partly down to Donald Trump's fluctuating position on abortion access - with the Republican presidential nominee seeming to want to try to appeal to all sides during his 2024 election campaign, infuriating many conservative, anti-abortion campaigners.

During his campaign, he has refused to take a position on a national ban on abortion, saying it should be left to individual states - but this has also put him at odds with many conservatives who seek to restrict the procedure nationwide.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has sought to capitalise on Trump's position in an effort to galvanize voters.

She has regularly framed Trump as a threat to women's autonomy because of the overturning of Roe v Wade, which took place after he appointed a conservative majority to the Supreme Court.