FFormer first lady Melania Trump — the wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — laid out her supportive position on abortion rights in a new interview on FOX Sunday morning futureswhich aired on October 6th.

Reporter Maria Bartiromo introduced the topic by reading a portion of Melania’s upcoming memoir: Melaniaincluding a section in which she writes that she is pro-choice and a passage that states: “It is imperative to ensure that women have autonomy in deciding their preference for children based on their own beliefs , free from government interference or pressure.” .”

When asked if she had spoken to her husband about her articulation of abortion rights before publishing it in her memoir, Melania confirmed her comments.

“Yes, he knew my position and my beliefs from the day we met, and I believe in individual freedom,” she said. “I want to decide what I want to do with my body. I think… I don’t want the government to affect my personal affairs. I think it’s very important.”

The interview follows The Guardian reported earlier this week that Melania’s new memoir contains strong statements of her support for abortion rights.

“Why should anyone other than the woman have the power to decide what she does with her own body? “A woman’s fundamental right to individual freedom and her own life gives her the power to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes,” Melania writes in the memoir The Guardian. She goes on to say that she has held these pro-choice beliefs her entire adult life.

Read more: Here’s where abortion will be on the ballot in the 2024 election

Melania’s reported statements in the memoir were followed by a promotional video posted to her official X account (formerly Twitter) in which she told the camera that “individual freedom is a fundamental principle that protects her.”

Donald addressed his wife’s stance shortly afterward in an interview with FOX News’ Bill Melugin that aired on October 3 The Guardian’s Reporting. When Melugin asked what the former president thought when he read the book, he replied that he told his wife to “write what she believes.”

“I’m not going to tell you what to do,” Donald said, “I said (to Melania): ‘You have to stay with your heart.'”

Melania’s comments come just a month before the presidential election, in which her husband and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris are locked in battles over abortion rights. Harris has repeatedly criticized the Republican candidate for his role in the party Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Ruling that revoked abortion rights, particularly because the former president appointed three of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who favored overturning the landmark decision. In the candidate’s presidential debate in September, the Republican candidate falsely claimed that the Democratic Party’s position on abortion rights included support for “execution after birth.”

Meanwhile, Donald’s vice presidential running mate JD Vance took a more measured stance on the issue during the October 1 vice presidential debate, saying he has “never supported a nationwide ban” on abortion – while he has said in the past that he “certainly would.” as if abortion were illegal on a national level.” During the debate, he went on to say that the Republican Party “needs to do a much better job of earning the trust of the American people on this issue, even though frankly they just don’t trust us.”

Beyond the presidential election, abortion rights will be on the ballot in ten different states in the November 5 general election.