Republican lawmaker praises Nikki Haley's abortion stance: 'You cannot go after women and attack them'
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., praised former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley after the presidential hopeful said at the first Republican primary debate that Americans ‘need to stop demonizing’ the issue of abortion.
“Every candidate talked about being pro-life and what their limits may or may not be,” Mace told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “But the only candidate on the stage that talked about how we should protect women and not demonize them was Nikki Haley.”
“We have to be pro-woman and pro-life. You cannot go after women and attack them because they make a choice that you don't like or do not agree with because it's a very sensitive subject right now,” Mace added.
Haley during the Wednesday primary debate tried to argue to Republicans that they need to be honest with Americans when discussing a national abortion ban.
Because any federal legislation will require 60 votes in the Senate, she said, party leaders should be trying to find a consensus on abortion issues, such as banning later abortions and agreeing not to jail women who get them.
Candidates who have called for a federal abortion ban immediately criticized Haley.
“Nikki, you’re my friend,” former Vice President Mike Pence said, “but consensus is the opposite of leadership.”
Mace has long criticized Republicans over what she calls “extreme” stances on abortion rights, particularly when it comes to victims of rape and incest, in addition to protecting the life of a pregnant person. She has also advocated for expanded access to birth control and gynecological care.
“The middle, the independent voters, right of center, left of center, they cannot support us,” she told “Fox News Sunday” earlier this year.
Contributing: Maureen Groppe, Paste BN