As has been the case in prior election cycles, abortion is shaping up to be an important issue in the presidential calculus for a substantial number of voters, and a recent development involving the spouse of one of the major party candidates has people talking.

Former -- and potentially future -- first lady Melania Trump has let it be known that she is a supporter of abortion rights, something critics suggest places her at odds not only with her Republican presidential nominee husband but also with many members of the party he represents, as the Associated Press reports.

Melania steps forward

Mrs. Trump's stance on the hot-button issue was revealed in her new memoir, Melania, an advance copy of which was obtained by The Guardian.

In her book, the former first lady explains, “It is imperative to guarantee that woman have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government.”

She continues, “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 of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes,” added Mrs. Trump.

Referencing attempts to place legal limits on abortion, she said, “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 life.”

A video subsequently posed to Mrs. Trump's X account appears to reaffirm the aforementioned position, with the former first lady declaring, “Individual freedom is 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.”

A house divided?

As the Associated Press noted, Mrs. Trump's newly articulated position diverges from the Republican Party under whose banner her husband is seeking another term in the Oval Office.

During his first four years in the White House, Trump appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, helping form the majority responsible for reversing the abortion precedent in Roe v. Wade.

Trump has indicated that he harbors no regrets about the fate of Roe and has often reinforced his belief that the issue rightly rests with the individual states, where it now resides.

Even so, Trump has attempted to reassure moderate voters as November approaches that he has no intention whatsoever of seeking a nationwide abortion ban and would veto such a measure if elected president, contrary to claims made by his Democratic Party opponent, Kamala Harris.

Mixed reactions pour in

The response to Mrs. Trump's revelation has been mixed, with Sara Haines of ABC's The View suggesting that the former first lady's statement “could hit some single-issue voters,” and her co-host Joy Behar suggesting that the entire announcement was “a big scam” orchestrated by the GOP to win votes for its nominee.

Liz Mair, a Republican campaign strategist, expressed a belief that Mrs. Trump's remarks may be “just another thing that piles on to make pro-lifers thing: 'I just can't with this guy.' A lot of them were single-issue voters anyway. He's not really giving them much of an incentive to show up and do anything to his benefit.”

Pollster Tresa Undem, however, mused that the revelation would not likely move the needle in either direction, saying, “These strong feelings -- they did not suddenly appear this year, right? So, she clearly has had no influence on him when it comes to policy related to abortion. I don't think she's ever been positioned, or voters ever think of her, as having any kind of policy position or weight or influence on Trump,” and whether that assessment bears out, only time will tell.