WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Rep. Nancy Mace has continued to cement her reputation as a liberal Republican with her latest comments critical of Florida’s pro-life heartbeat law.
The South Carolina congresswoman called the Florida law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last month, “not compassionate.”
“Signing a six-week ban that puts women who are victims of rape and girls who are victims of incest in a hard spot isn’t the way to change hearts and minds,” Rep. Mace said Sunday on CBS. “It’s not compassionate. The requirements he has for rape victims are too much, not something that I support. It’s a non-starter.”
Florida’s law is not a complete ban. It allows abortion in cases of rape, incest, and human trafficking for up to 15 weeks, if the mother can provide necessary documentation.
READ: 3 South Carolina Republicans team up to squash pro-life bill banning nearly all abortions
“To ensure violent perpetrators are held accountable for their crimes against women and girls, and to help prevent repeated sexual assault, abuse, and violence against rape, incest, and human trafficking survivors, the bill contains reporting requirements, so criminals can be brought to justice,” a previous summary of the bill stated.
The legislation will make it illegal to deliberately kill an unborn baby after his heartbeat can be detected, which is usually about six weeks’ gestation, LifeSiteNews previously reported. Since many women don’t even know they’re pregnant at six weeks, the bill will prohibit a huge number of abortions in the state. However, it does not directly protect unborn babies who do not yet have a heartbeat.
‘Pro-life’ Nancy Mace explains why she opposes Florida’s law against most abortions. pic.twitter.com/EVP4PboZGR
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) May 3, 2023
The legislation also blocks abortionists from using telehealth services to facilitate chemical abortions remotely and allocates $30 million to bolster state support for families, providing “counseling or mentoring services as well as providing non-medical material assistance to families such as car seats, cribs, clothing, formula, and diapers.”
Mace, in her interview, said she is “pro-life” and “conservative.”
“I work with Democrats all the time,” Mace said. She said she supports some “gestational limits” at 15 or 20 weeks.
However, she has actively opposed efforts to restrict access to dangerous RU-486 abortion drugs. She said states should ignore a ruling at the time by a federal district judge that prevented the nationwide distribution of abortion drugs throughout the country. That case is still working its way through the court system, and abortion drugs remain available after the Supreme Court refused to uphold the nationwide injunction.
READ: Why there’s still hope for the Supreme Court to uphold the restriction of abortion pills
Mace has repeatedly used a national platform to criticize pro-life Republicans. After the disappointing 2022 midterm results, Mace blamed pro-lifers for the losses.
“It’s the reason we didn’t get more of a majority,” she told anchor Chuck Todd on NBC’s Meet the Press. “We could have had a two dozen-seat majority, but we don’t. This was an issue top of mind for swing voters. When you’re looking ahead to ’24, going to the extremes and digging in, there isn’t going to work for most people. When I look at every issue, not just on Roe v. Wade, but every issue, we’re so divided.”
The South Carolina Republican has also sided frequently with the LGBT lobby — for example, she supported the radical “Fairness for All Act,” which would practically wipe away sex distinctions in the law and open up female locker rooms to men.
She also sided with liberals in passing a federal law that enshrines same-sex “marriage.”