Melania Trump has made an extraordinary statement in an eagerly anticipated memoir to be published a month after Election Day: She is a passionate believer in a woman’s right to control her own body — including the right on abortion.

“It is imperative to ensure that women have autonomy in deciding their childbearing preferences, based on their own beliefs, free from any government intervention or pressure,” the Republican candidate’s wife wrote, amid a campaign in which Donald Trump’s threats to women’s reproductive rights have played a central role.

“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 to individual freedom over her own life gives her the power to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes.

“Limiting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is like denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me my entire adult life.”

Melania Trump has rarely expressed political views in public. Her book Melania, which shows that the former first lady is so completely out of step with most of her own party, will be published in the US next Tuesday. The Guardian has obtained a copy.

Her decision to include a full-throated statement of support for abortion rights is notable, not only given her proximity to a Republican candidate committed to an anti-abortion platform, but also given the serious deterioration of women’s reproductive rights under Donald Trump and the Republican party.

In 2022, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson, three justices installed when Donald Trump was president voted to strike down Roe v Wade, the ruling that had protected federal abortion rights since 1973. Since then, Republican states have imposed draconian abortion bans.

Donald Trump has tried to take credit for the Dobbs decision — long the central target of evangelical and conservative Catholic donors and voters — and avoid the anger it has stoked, saying abortion rights should be decided by the states specifically.

But Democrats have won a succession of electoral victories by campaigning on the issue, even in conservative states, and threats to reproductive rights, including threats to fertility treatments including IVF, are proving problematic for Republicans this year.

Amid a flurry of statements that opponents deem misogynistic and regressive, JD Vance, Donald Trump’s vice president-elect, has indicated he would support a national abortion ban — a measure his boss’ wife reportedly opposes .

Donald Trump himself recently became confused about whether he would vote to protect abortion rights in Florida in November, a vote his wife will also cast given their residence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. He ultimately said he would vote no. Based on her own words, it looks like Melania Trump will vote yes.

Her memoirs are sparse, containing many descriptions of her childhood in Slovenia, life as a model in New York and love for the man whose third wife she became, and correspondingly little policy discussion. Donald Trump gives a brief summary praising his wife’s “commitment to excellence…insightful perspective…(and) entrepreneurial achievements.”

Before discussing abortion, Melania Trump said she disagreed with her husband on certain aspects of immigration policy, not least as an immigrant herself.

“Occasionally political disagreements between me and my husband,” she writes, “are part of our relationship, but I believed in addressing them privately rather than challenging him publicly.”

And yet later in her book she puts views on abortion and reproductive rights diametrically opposed to those of her husband and his party.

“I have always believed that it is critical that people take care of themselves first,” Melania Trump wrote. “It’s a very simple concept; in fact, we are all born with a set of fundamental rights, including the right to enjoy our lives. We all have the right to a satisfying and dignified existence.

“This common sense approach applies to a woman’s natural right to make decisions about her own body and health.”

Trump says her views on abortion rights stem from “a core set of principles,” the core of which consists of “individual liberty” and “personal liberty,” which have “no room for negotiation.”

She describes “legitimate reasons for a woman to choose abortion,” lists danger to the mother’s life, rape or incest, often exceptions under state bans, as well as “a congenital birth defect, plus serious medical conditions.”

Melania Trump says ‘timing is important’ and also defends the right to abortion later in pregnancy.

She writes: “It is important to note that historically, most abortions performed during the later stages of pregnancy were due to serious fetal abnormalities that would likely have resulted in the death or stillbirth of the child. Maybe even the death of the mother. These cases were extremely rare and usually occurred after several consultations between the woman and her doctor. As a community, we must embrace these common sense standards. Again, timing is important.”

According to CDC data, more than 90% of abortions in the US occur during or before the 13th week of pregnancy. Less than 1% of abortions occur at or after 21 weeks.

During the campaign, Republicans blatantly mischaracterized Democratic positions on abortion. Last month, during his Kamala Harris debate, Donald Trump incorrectly said that his opponent’s “vice presidential choice… says ninth-month abortion is absolutely fine. (Tim Walz) also says, ‘Execution after birth’ – execution, no more abortion because the baby is born – is okay.”

He was fact checked: It is not legal in any state to kill a baby after birth.

In response to news of Melania Trump’s support for abortion rights, Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign, said in a statement: “Unfortunately for women across America, Mrs. Trump’s husband strongly disagrees with her and is the reason more than one in three American women are living under a Trump abortion ban that threatens their health, their freedom and their lives.

“Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear: If he wins in November, he will ban abortion nationwide, punish women and limit women’s access to reproductive health care.”

The Trump campaign did not immediately comment.

On social media, Melania Trump doubled down and posted a short video paraphrasing comments in her book.

On the page, Melania Trump makes a decidedly un-Trumpian call for empathy.

“Many women choose abortion because of personal medical concerns,” she writes. “These situations with significant moral implications weigh heavily on the woman and her family and deserve our empathy. For example, consider the complexity inherent in deciding whether the mother should risk her own life to give birth.”

Recent reporting has revealed cases of women dying in states where abortion is banned.

She appeals for compassion.

“When faced with an unexpected pregnancy, young women often experience feelings of isolation and significant stress. I, like most Americans, support requiring young people to obtain parental consent before having an abortion. I realize that this will not always be possible. Our next generation must be provided with knowledge, security, safety and comfort, and the cultural stigma associated with abortion must be lifted,” the former first lady wrote.

Finally, Melania Trump offers an expression of solidarity with reproductive rights protesters.

“The slogan ‘My body, my choice’ is typically associated with female activists and those aligned with the pro-choice side of the debate,” she writes. “But if you think about it carefully, ‘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.”