Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) criticized Republicans for “going too far” in passing pro-life legislation to protect the lives of the unborn.
“Even though I’m pro-life, I represent a pro-choice district, and I saw the tide change after Roe was overturned. We went [from being] mildly pro-choice to … [a] vast majority of voters being pro-choice after Roe v. Wade. It changed the entire electoral environment in ’22,” Mace said during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday.”
Nancy Mace on abortion: "Some of these stances [Republicans] have taken, especially when it comes to rape and incest, protecting the life of the mother — it's so extreme [that] the middle, the independent voters … they cannot support us." pic.twitter.com/802k2NlW3P
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 16, 2023
Mace said that while she’s “pro-life,” the Republican Party needs to find a “middle ground” on the issue of abortion. She argued that some of her party’s positions concerning abortion are “so extreme,” independent voters won’t support them.
She added that most voters in the U.S. favor abortion when it comes to protecting the mother’s life. Polls show that most Americans do favor abortion concerning the safety of the mother.
Mace noted that Republicans underperformed in the 2022 midterm elections due to their support of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. She said she would personally ban abortions after 15-20 weeks when a heartbeat is usually detected.
“There are a lot of things that we can do to protect life and not alienate the independent voter,” Mace said.
“What I saw last year in the midterm election, I saw us lose seats we should have won. Women are watching. But instead, it seems like and it feels like we’re burying our heads in the sand. We’re afraid of the issue because we’re afraid of our base,” Mace noted.
Mace pointed out that former President Donald Trump criticized her in the 2022 primaries because of her abortion stance, which she won by 9 points.
Life News, a pro-life website, blasted Mace, calling her a “sellout.”
Nancy Mace is a sellout. If you can't even stand up for babies killed in abortions you're no better than the left.
— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) April 11, 2023
In January 2023, Trump blamed the “abortion issue” for Republican losses in the 2022 midterm elections.
On Truth Social, Trump accused the GOP of handling the issue poorly, specifically those who “firmly” insisted on no exceptions to banning abortion. He said Republican voters who fought against abortion “got their wish” when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and “just plain disappeared.”
The abortion issue will likely play a crucial role in the 2024 presidential election as new restrictions took effect around the U.S. after the overturning of Roe.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) recently signed a six-week abortion ban into law, essentially prohibiting the procedure in the state.
According to data from the Public Religion Research Institute, 64% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all cases, and 63% disagreed with the decision to overturn Roe. Over 65% of independents favored the legalization of abortion, as well as 90% of Democrats and 36% of Republicans.
