Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Mace's shifting public positions on abortion access, rape exceptions, and the politics of reproductive rights from 2019 through her 2026 gubernatorial bid.
Rep. Mace saying the GOP has to find "middle ground" on abortion, an evolution from her earlier rape-exception emphasis. (Source: CBS "Face the Nation," via YouTube.)
Abortion is among the issues on which Nancy Mace's stated positions have shifted most visibly over time. She has described herself as a rape survivor since at least 2019, and for years emphasized that position as the basis for supporting rape and incest exceptions to abortion restrictions. She has repeatedly criticized proposals she considered too sweeping, including Ron DeSantis's six-week ban, as lacking "compassion."
By 2024, with the issue shaping competitive races across the country, Mace shifted toward a "let the people decide" posture, arguing that abortion policy should be left to individual states. She acknowledged that Republican candidates who took uncompromising anti-abortion stands were losing badly and that the party needed to find "middle ground." Critics pointed to that framing as an evolution from her earlier positions; Mace has characterized her views as consistent with her survivor background and her broader skepticism of heavy federal mandates.
Her 2026 South Carolina gubernatorial primary campaign did not center on abortion, but her prior statements, dating from national television appearances through Congressional floor votes, form part of the documented public record aggregated here.
On the Record
Mace invokes rape survival to justify bathroom bill targeting Rep.-elect McBride: 'Yes and absolutely, and then some'
On November 19, 2024, Mace cited her own history as a rape and domestic-abuse survivor as justification for her transgender bathroom resolution, and confirmed directly that it targeted Rep.-elect Sarah McBride.
Mace on CNN endorses state-by-state abortion votes: 'Every state should put this issue on the ballot. Let the people decide'
On CNN on April 11, 2024, Mace endorsed a state-by-state approach to abortion policy and called Arizona's 1864 abortion ban 'a terrible law.'
Mace to Stephanopoulos: 'I live with shame'
On March 10, 2024, Mace pushed back at George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week after he pressed her on endorsing Trump given her public history as a rape survivor.
Mace tells CNN's Dana Bash: 'we cannot be assholes to women'
In a September 3, 2023 CNN interview with Dana Bash, Mace said Republicans must change their approach to abortion policy, using an expletive to make the point.
Mace says DeSantis six-week abortion ban 'isn't the way to change hearts and minds. It's not compassionate.'
On April 30, 2023, Mace criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's six-week abortion ban as uncompassionate toward rape and incest victims, calling a 15-to-20 week ban with exceptions the 'sweet spot.'
Mace warns Republicans on ABC: 'We're going to lose huge if we continue down this path of extremities'
On ABC's This Week on April 23, 2023, Mace urged Republicans to find middle ground on abortion messaging, warning that the party would suffer major electoral losses if it continued on an extreme path.
Mace tells Face the Nation she supports rape exceptions: 'I am pro-life, but I do support exceptions for rape. I'm a rape victim myself'
On CBS Face the Nation on May 8, 2022, Mace said she is pro-life but supports rape and incest exceptions to abortion bans, citing her own experience as a rape survivor.
Mace's first public disclosure: 'It can take 25 years to get up the courage'
On May 19, 2019, during the South Carolina abortion-bill debate, Mace made her first public disclosure of being a rape survivor, describing how long she had kept the experience private.