Republican politicians must stop burying their "heads in the sand" about abortion if the party wants to win elections again, Rep. Nancy Mace told "Fox News Sunday."
The South Carolina Republican said her colleagues must move to the center on the issue, particularly criticizing anti-abortion policies that don't give clear exceptions for rape and incest or that do not offer solutions for women seeking OB-GYN care.
"We need to find a middle ground on this issue, and I have a great pro-life voting record," Mace said. "But some of the stances we take — and especially when it comes to rape and incest, protecting the life of the mother — it's so extreme that middle, independent voters, right of center, left of center, they cannot support us."
The congresswoman explained that voters have moved significantly to the left on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.
"We have not learned our lesson from the midterm election," she told Fox News. "We went mildly pro-choice to being a vast majority of voters being pro-choice after Roe v. Wade. It changed the entire electoral environment in '22."
In the midterms, she said, "I saw us lose seats we should have won. It feels like we're burying our heads in the sand.
"We're afraid of the issue because we're afraid of our base. But that's not what the base is."
Mace added, "We've got 14 counties in South Carolina that don't have a single OB-GYN doctor. So if we're going to ban abortion, what are we doing to make sure women have access to birth control?
"How do we improve adoption services in our country? What about the kids that are not wanted? What about our foster care system? What about getting nurses that can treat women who need OB-GYN care in those rural areas? What are we doing about getting birth control over the counter at pharmacies?"
Mace said there is much that can be done "to protect life and not alienate the independent voter."
The congresswoman also responded to criticism from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which said she "denounced certain protections for unborn children" and gave her a "B" rating.
Mace said, "I find it ironic that Susan B Anthony would attack me. I'm a victim of rape. I advocate for women who have been raped. And that organization will no longer talk to my office about pro-life legislation because I'm talking about birth control. I mean, some of these groups have gotten so over the top and extreme."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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