WASHINGTON – GOP Rep. Nancy Mays on Sunday urged her fellow Republicans to find “middle ground” on the issue. Abortion and warned that strict limits, viz A six-week ban has been imposed in Florida Earlier this month, they were “not sympathetic.”
In an interview with “Face the Nation,” Mays said abortion is the second-most important issue to voters in his district, behind inflation, and he pressed Republicans to find common ground with Democrats on how late in pregnancy abortions should be allowed.
“There’s a lot that we can agree on in terms of saving life and protecting women when it comes to gestational limits, it’s something that can happen at the state and federal level,” Mays said on “Face the Nation.”
The South Carolina Republican said he supports a 15-to-20-week abortion ban with exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or abuse, or when the mother’s life is at risk, calling it a “sweet spot.”
“Democrats are often at 24 weeks, and that’s too far for a lot of people,” Mays said. “No one wants zero.”
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But he criticized recent moves in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis is a likely candidate Republican presidential nomination in 2024A bill was signed into law earlier this month that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
“Signing a six-week ban that is not going to change the hearts and minds of rape victims and girls who are victims of abuse. It’s not compassionate,” Mace said. “His need for rape victims is too high, not something I support, it’s a non starter.”
Mays urged Republicans to show “more care and concern and compassion for women who have been raped” and warned that supporting stricter restrictions on abortion would make it harder for Republicans to succeed in the next general election.
“It puts them in a very difficult position in my opinion for a general election, which is why I’ve been so vocal about this,” he said. “I want us to win, I don’t just want us to win the Electoral College, I want us to win the popular vote.”
Mays said Republicans should also focus on other issues related to reproductive health, such as improving access to birth control in rural areas, improving foster care and adoption systems, and making sure rape kits are processed quickly.
“There’s a lot we can do to show that we’re pro-feminist,” Mays said, “We can do both. We can walk and chew at the same time.”
Since The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade As of June 2022, ending the constitutional right to abortion, more than a dozen states have imposed near-total bans on abortion or enacted laws to reduce access to abortion. The high court’s decision was a major victory for Republicans who have spent years pushing to reverse Roe, but it also thrust the issue of abortion back into the forefront of the national debate.
Abortion is expected to be a major focus of the 2024 election and GOP presidential primary, and Republicans already At odds over What restrictions would they support if elected to the White House?