South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace has recently appeared on several television shows, portraying herself as a lone, sensible voice in the Republican Party when it comes to the issue of abortion. However, Mace appears to be uninformed about what her own party is doing to build a culture of life and support women facing unexpected pregnancies. As the Republican Platform states, it is “proud to be the party that protects human life and offers real solutions for women.”
Meg Kilgannon, Family Research Council’s senior fellow for Education Studies, discussed Mace’s positions on a recent episode of “Washington Watch” with guest host and former Congressman Jody Hice. She addressed Mace’s disingenuous comments one-by-one.
1. Chemical abortion drugs extinguish unborn life and are dangerous for women’s health.
On chemical abortion drugs, Mace said, “If you don’t like the drugs that the FDA approves, then fix the FDA, but … it’s only going to make women angrier in this country when we keep having these abortion arguments, when we haven’t done anything for women.”
Kilgannon: “People … claim to speak for all women when they take the pro-abortion position. We hear this all the time from the Democratic Party, but when you hear it on the Republican side, it really takes on a whole other dimension. It’s unfortunate because many, many women are pro-life, their daughters are pro-life, their mothers are pro-life. No one thinks that abortion is a great idea. So few people want to be in the position where that is something you consider. … The issue is, we need to fix hearts, heal people, heal our culture so that abortion is simply unthinkable, that every life in the womb is seen as being created in the image and likeness of God, that we all fight for and expect that life will be protected from conception until a natural death.”
2. All women care about abortion.
On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Mace said, “As a Republican woman today in 2023, this is a very lonely place to be [be]cause I feel like that I’m the only woman on our side of the aisle advocating for things that all women should care about.”
Kilgannon: “All women absolutely do care about this issue — we just don’t all share her position. I mean, to call herself [‘lonely’] … I think the loneliest place you could possibly be is in a dorm room bathroom having taken the morning-after pill or taking a chemical abortion pill and having to deal with this abortion all on your own. … This isn’t the way we should be doing things in this country. We are so much better than this. And to tell women that this is their only option to deal with an unwanted pregnancy … we need to hold men accountable and responsible for the babies they help create. That needs to be a societal expectation — not put the expectation on the woman to just handle the problem. Babies are not a ‘problem.’ … Every child is a gift from God, created in his image and likeness. And no means of abortion is okay with me.”
3. Democrats are abortion extremists, not Republicans.
On ABC’s “This Week,” Mace said, “As a Republican, a conservative, constitutional conservative who’s pro-life, I saw what happened after Roe v. Wade, because I represent a very purple district. ... And I saw the sentiment change dramatically. And as Republicans, we need to read the room on this issue because the vast majority of folks are not in the extreme.”
Kilgannon: “Who is the extremist? Is it the Democrat who says they’re ‘pro-choice,’ but who is for abortion until the moment of birth and even, if you’re Ralph Northam, my former governor, after birth? The logical consistency of their point is that there really is no limit on the ending of a human life if it’s inconvenient to someone. And this is just simply not the standard. … The standard is that everyone has human dignity, we are all created in the image and likeness of God, and our ability … doesn’t matter. … I don’t really care what you’re going to achieve in your life. …I hope that it is a fulfilling and achieving life, and I hope that you are fulfilling what God has put you on this earth to do, but even if you’re going to be born and become a criminal … that doesn’t change your right to life. … Everyone has the right to life, and this point is missed so often.”
4. The pro-life movement is caring for women with unplanned pregnancies.
Mace, again on CNN’s “State of the Union:” “No woman wants to go to the doctor and make the decision that she’s going to have an abortion. Nobody wants that. And what are we doing to ensure that she doesn’t have to make that decision? What are we doing about the foster care system, what are we doing about child care? We’re doing none of those things.”
Kilgannon: “ … This is really the unseen part of the pro-life movement that gets forgotten so often in politics. Foster care law is a state and very much a local matter. … I’m sure her committee assignments don’t allow her to do that work in committee. … Doesn’t mean it’s not happening. It is happening, and there are people who are working all over this country to help vulnerable people — whether they’re women in crisis pregnancies, children who have been abandoned by their parents or are … in the foster care system. There is nobody better than the pro-life communitydoing the work of helping these people. …It comes from the same place that we’re talking about the dignity of the human person. When you believe that, then you’re going to work in these spaces. You’re going to care for the vulnerable, you’re going to be the hands and feet of Jesus in helping people and honoring their lives.”
