Rep. Mace: It’s time to find middle ground on abortion

The country we love can do two things at once: We can make sure life is protected and we can protect the rights of women.
 
This should be something that brings us together. So, imagine my dismay when members of the South Carolina legislature recently introduced a bill to give rapists more rights than rape victims. Under South Carolina law, the bill would make women who have an abortion eligible for the death penalty. 
 
You read that right. Some South Carolina lawmakers are so pro-life, they want to extend the death penalty to women who have been raped.
 
I think we may have to disagree after all. 
 
Life is sacred and should be valued. But being pro-life does not mean we can’t be pro-woman, or vice versa. I refuse to pick one over the other when we can be both.
 
In fact, the other day one of my constituents wrote to say he or she left the Republican Party years ago over this issue. This constituent is pro-choice and believes in gestational limits at 14 weeks. 
 
I have discovered that when we have these conversations – whether you call yourself pro-life, pro-choice, pro-abortion, or anti-abortion – many of us actually agree on more than we realize.
 
Of course, blame goes both ways. Those who support third trimester abortions won’t give any ground. Abortion up until birth is equally as disgusting as banning abortions with no exceptions.  
 
At the same time some do not want any reasonable exceptions; I’ve heard complaints about women “being allowed” to travel out of state to have an abortion; I’ve heard others talk about how women shouldn’t have access to birth control over the counter. 
 
While the extremes of the conversation have radicalized the debate, the American people have made it clear – they expect better from those who represent them. 
 
As promised, I’ve been working on common sense solutions we can implement now. 
 
One of the first bills I filed this Congress was a bill to provide resources for medical care, prenatal care, and legal assistance to mothers who want to give their baby up for adoption. 
 
South Carolina has entire communities without a single OB/GYN doctor. So, I’m working on another bill to get more OB/GYN nurses into rural areas. This can provide needed care to all women, regardless of where they live. 
 
If we are serious about reducing the number of abortions, then we must be serious about reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies. Enter birth control. 
 
I recently introduced a bill to waive the fees and cut the time in half for companies trying to get FDA approval on self-administered birth control, giving more choices to women to fit their needs. 
 
I will be introducing another bill to allow adult women to access contraceptives over the counter if they have been approved by the FDA. Again, empowering women and eliminating the need for a number of abortions each year. 
 
I’m working on foster care legislation too. Who will take care of the unwanted children in states where abortions are banned? 
 
In response to state lawmakers who want to execute women, I am submitting a federal bill to classify the death penalty, as retribution for having an abortion, as cruel and unusual punishment. This should go without saying, but here we are.
 
Soon, I will also unveil legislation to address the huge backlog of rape kits in our country. We have over 100,000 rape kits sitting on shelves somewhere waiting to be processed. 
 
And I’m just getting started. 
 
Women are looking to Congress at one of the most pivotal moments in our nation’s history. History will not be kind to those who buried their heads in the sand. History will not be kind to those who refused to seek common ground. 
 
We can offer meaningful solutions and be practical at the same time. We can give women the tools to avoid an abortion, while also offering women all the resources they need if an unplanned pregnancy occurs. 
 
We can pick pragmatism over extremism. We can listen to the other side instead of dismissing it. We can pick a winning strategy over a losing one. 
 
It’s time.
 
Nancy Mace is the U.S. Representative for the 1st Congressional District, which includes portions of the 29492 zip code. You can email Mace’s office via her congressional website: mace.house.gov/contact

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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