Melania Trump speaks out on abortion rights

Melania Trump has spoken out following reports that her upcoming memoir will include a defence of abortion rights.

Speaking in a video uploaded to social media on Thursday, the former first lady did not say the word abortion - but declared she believed that individual freedom was "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," Mrs Trump added.

"What does 'my body, my choice', really mean?"

The 28-second clip, which was shot in black and white, ends with an advert for her new book Melania.

It comes following reports the former model is set to come out in favour of abortion rights in the memoir - representing a public split with her husband Donald's stance over the divisive issue.

Mr Trump has come under growing scrutiny over his views during the presidential election campaign, having previously signalled support for a national ban beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy.

His current position is to back states to decide abortion laws and support exceptions to a ban in the case of rape, incest or danger to the mother's life.

However, Mrs Trump has reportedly written that women should be "free from any intervention or pressure from the government".

According to The Guardian, which reports it has seen a copy ahead of publication next week, she writes: "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 also reportedly wrote: "Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body?"

This election is the first since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, which ended a nearly 50-year constitutional right to abortion in the US.

Since then, nearly two dozen US states have banned or limited access to the procedure.

Mr Trump previously said he was "proudly the person responsible" for the court overturning the ruling in 2022 - which had protected a right to abortion at up to around 24 to 28 weeks - as judges he appointed while president won the vote.

He has also falsely claimed that Democrats support abortion after the baby is born.

Read more from Sky News:
Naked Trump statue near Las Vegas 'deplorable'
How religious beliefs will impact the US election

The rival Democrat campaign views abortion rights as an issue for Kamala Harris to use against the former president.

A spokesperson for the Harris campaign said: "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".

(c) Sky News 2024: Melania Trump speaks out on abortion rights