Melania Trump shares abortion stance video after blasting Donald's views ahead of new book

Abortion is a highly-contested issue in American politics with millions of voters being mobilised to cast their ballot on the subject in this election on November 5

Melania Trump declared abortion is a "fundamental" right for all women, a stark contrast to her husband ex-President Donald Trump, as she continues to promote her new memoir.

The former First Lady said in a video shared on social media that abortion is a part of "individual freedom" and a right that "all women possess from birth." Her comments are at odds with Mr Trump's Republican Party which has generally taken a more pro-life stance compared to the Democrats.

Her husband has been more vague on the issue and has refused to take a solid stance. Many evangelical Christians, who typically vote Republican, have argued for a complete ban in the US.

In an October 3 video, Mrs Trump said: "Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard," as she began the nearly 30-second clip. "Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth — individual freedom. What does my body, my choice, really mean?"

Since sharing the clip on X/Twitter, it has been viewed more than 16.7 million times. Her own husband, former President Donald Trump, has been noncommittal on the matter, refusing to take a solid stance on the issue as he faces pressure from two key demographics of voters to conform to their views - Evangelical Christians, who want utter bans, and more moderate conservatives who want to see abortion rights preserved.

As snippets of her upcoming memoir have been published online, one comment appears to take a subtle swipe at her politician husband. Melania reportedly wrote that a woman's choice whether to have children or not should be "based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government."

Her stance received a mixed reaction online with pro-choice advocates lambasting her husband's role in appointing Supreme Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and pro-life campaigners bemoaning her position on what they view as going against protections for the unborn. However, there were some positive comments from people who praised her openness on the sensitive subject. Mr Trump responded to Melania's stance when speaking to Fox News' Bill Melugin, adding: “We spoke about it. And I said, you have to write what you believe. I’m not going to tell you what to do. You have to write what you believe."

While abortion is a highly contested issue in US politics and is set to be again in November, a YouGov ongoing opinion tracker found 45 per cent of Americans believe its current availability is "broadly satisfactory" compared to 2 per cent who believe it should not be legal at all or 8 per cent who believe it is "too easy."

At present there are 12 states in the US where abortion is illegal with only limited exceptions should it prevent the woman's imminent death or risk their physical health among other exceptions. States were allowed to decide their own abortion limits following the June 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade, a ruling that granted women the right to an abortion up to about 24 weeks regardless of what state they lived in.

The overturning proved highly controversial as Supreme Court Justices, who uphold or withdraw rulings in the US, decided to overturn Roe v Wade. It was pointed to as being a factor that denied a so-called "Red Wave" during the 2022 Midterm Elections in the US where republicans ended up making minor gains instead of the predicted large political shift in their favour.

The Mirror has contacted Mr Trump's campaign team for comment.

Mrs Trump's memoir 'Melania' will be available to buy from October 8.