Current:Home > FinanceBurley Garcia|This GOP member is urging for action on gun control and abortion rights -VisionFunds
Burley Garcia|This GOP member is urging for action on gun control and abortion rights
Indexbit Exchange View
Date:2025-04-09 03:03:47
Welcome to the NPR series where we spotlight the people and Burley Garciathings making headlines — and the stories behind them.
Rep. Nancy Mace isn't convinced about some of the stances her party is taking. And she's already facing blowback for it.
Who is she? Nancy Mace is a South Carolina congresswoman and Republican.
- A South Carolina native to the Lowcountry region, she was elected to represent the state's first congressional district in 2021.
- According to her website, Mace's first job was as a Waffle House waitress, and she eventually became the first woman to graduate from the Corps of Cadets program at the Citadel, a military college in South Carolina.
- Her tenure has focused on party-aligned issues like inflation, taxes, the second amendment, the Southern border and the current culture wars over gender identity and inclusivity.
What's the big deal? While Mace sees eye to eye with many GOP members on other issues, reproductive health and action on mass shootings have become a point of contention.
- Mace, who identifies as pro-life, has been a vocal defendant of the right to choose as more GOP legislators push forward with bills that continue to restrict access to abortion across the country, calling the efforts "extreme" and pointing out that the largely unpopular moves could alienate potential voters and endanger people with a uterus.
- On a CNN appearance earlier in April, Mace called for the FDA to ignore the court ruling suspending the approval of Mifepristone.
- She also separately called upon her party members to take more action in response to the increasing rate of mass shootings, sharing that she and her own children were near the Isle of Palms shooting that took place earlier this month.
- Mace was also one of the few GOP members to speak out against former President Donald Trump's possible role in Jan. 6th, though that position has waned over time.
Want more politics? Listen to Consider This explore what the phrase 'tough on China' really means.
What are people saying?
Mace on abortion during her CNN appearance:
This is an FDA-approved drug. I support the usage of FDA-approved drugs, even if we might disagree. It's not up to us to decide as legislators or as the court system that- whether or not this is the right drug to use or not. This is an issue that Republicans have been largely on the wrong side of. We have, over the last nine months, not shown compassion towards women, and this is one of those issues that I've tried to lead on as someone who's 'pro-life' and just have some common sense.
Everybody's welcome to their own opinion. I represent a very purple district that is really a bellwether for the rest of the country. And I can tell you, far more than the vast majority of 60-70% of Americans are not going to agree with this decision. And there are many pro-life people that, also while they're pro-life, they don't want the government to intervene in this radical of a manner, and the FDA has a rigorous process.
And during another TV appearance:
We've got 14 counties in South Carolina that don't have a single OBGYN doctor. So if we're going to ban abortion, what are we doing to make sure women have access to birth control?
Mace on gun control during a FOX News appearance:
Every mass shooting, there's just silence, and prayers are offered, Easter baskets are offered, but no real solutions,
Republicans can no longer be silent on this issue. And it's not about the Second Amendment. There are plenty of things that we can be doing besides offering prayers and silence,
Those kinds of common sense things are all things that every American on either side of the aisle can get behind, but yet every time there's a mass shooting, and they're increasing every year, every week, we don't say anything. We want to bury our heads in the sand and hope that it goes away. But guess what? It's not going away.
So, what now?
- Earlier this week, pro-life protestors gathered outside Mace's South Carolina offices, calling for her to resign in the wake of her comments regarding the abortion drug ruling.
- Mace has called for stronger background checks in the purchase of firearms in addition to improved alert systems.
- It's important to note that Mace has also dedicated a large portion of her 'women's rights' platform to "women in sports", co-sponsoring The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which seeks to ban transgender women and girls from participating in girls' and women's school sports.
Learn more:
- Out-of-staters are flocking to places where abortions are easier to get
- What could make a hoax call reporting a school shooting worse? Social media
- Why anti-abortion groups are citing the ideas of a 19th-century 'vice reformer'
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Abu Ghraib detainee shares emotional testimony during trial against Virginia military contractor
- Former Marine sentenced to 9 years in prison for firebombing California Planned Parenthood clinic
- Cold case: 1968 slaying of Florida milkman, WWII vet solved after suspect ID’d, authorities say
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Megan Fox defends 'Love Is Blind' star Chelsea Blackwell for talking about resemblance
- Rangers clinch NHL's top record, Islanders get berth, last playoff spot still up for grabs
- Ciara Reveals Why She Wants to Lose 70 Pounds of Her Post-Baby Weight
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- How Angel Reese will fit in with the Chicago Sky. It all starts with rebounding
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Candiace Dillard Bassett is pregnant, reveals this influenced 'Real Housewives of Potomac' departure
- Hochul announces budget outline as lawmakers continue to hash out details
- Rust Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for 2021 Fatal Shooting
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Fire rages through the 17th-century Old Stock Exchange in Copenhagen, toppling the iconic spire
- Starbucks releases 'swicy' refresher beverages built off sweet heat trend
- Federal law enforcement investigating Baltimore bridge collapse, sources say
Recommendation
The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to involuntarily commit some defendants judged incompetent for trial
Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Shares How She's Overcoming Her Body Struggles
2025 Kia K4 Sedan first look: Introducing Kia’s all-new small, cheap car
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
The Lyrids begin this week. How to see first major meteor shower of spring when it peaks
WWE Monday Night Raw: Results, highlights for Sami Zayn, Jey Uso matches in Montreal
Why this WNBA draft is a landmark moment (not just because of Caitlin Clark)