Editorial | Melania Trump gets a choice on abortion, but her husband doesn’t want the same for Americans

Melania Trump’s self-titled memoir releases on Oct. 8, but early readers have reported the former First Lady reveals several surprising facts — most notably that she supports the right to abortion.

She speaks this opinion in no uncertain terms, writing, “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.”

With the presidential election less than a month away — an election where reproductive freedoms are at the forefront of many voters’ minds — Melania Trump’s opinion in her memoir came as a shock to many Americans. Her husband has bragged extensively about overturning Roe v. Wade, leaving decisions on abortion rights up to the states. Donald Trump broke his silence on the memoir a few days ago, neither supporting nor condemning Melania Trump’s statements.

Donald Trump told Fox News that “We spoke about it. And I said ‘you have to write what you believe. I’m not going to tell you what to do’ … I said ‘you have to stick with your heart.’ I’ve said that to everybody, you have to go with your heart.”

He supports her right to choose what she writes about — as he should — but what about the rest of the American people? What about the women who, thanks to Dobbs v. Jackson, will be told what to do?

Donald Trump has been skittish on the topic of a national abortion ban, even indicating he would veto a ban if it came to his desk. Trump staunchly supports leaving the issue of abortion up to the states, but this does very little to offer women the right to choose — the right to “stick with your heart.” Vetoing a national abortion ban does nothing for the people in deep red states whose state governments will tell them exactly what to do in the event they become pregnant.

If Donald Trump truly believes in freedom, if he holds the same values for the American public that he does for his wife’s memoir, he would not celebrate the death of Roe v. Wade. Reproductive healthcare represents the freedom to choose what to do, the freedom to have agency over one’s own body.

Despite what he said in response to Melania Trump’s memoir, Donald Trump does not care about choice. He may not tell you what to do, but he doesn’t care if someone else does. Donald Trump may not tell you you can’t get an abortion, but he’ll make sure state governors can. He won’t let freedom extend to every individual citizen, because it’ll stop at the state governments.

Every American deserves agency over their body, and as Melania Trump says, “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” — federal or state. Don’t let our politicians curb the right to autonomy.

The Pitt News editorial is a weekly article written by the opinions editors in collaboration with all other desk editors. It reflects the collective opinion of the current Pitt News editorial staff.