The next is a transcript of an interview with Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina that aired Sunday, Might 8, 2022, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: We need to flip again to the battle over abortion rights with Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina. She's in Charleston this morning. Blissful Mom's Day to you, Congresswoman.
REP. NANCY MACE: Thanks. And blissful Mom's Day to all of the mothers on the market at present.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I need to have a dialog with you right here after which we'll proceed it on the opposite facet of this break. However first up, you're towards abortion, however you imagine that victims of rape and victims of incest ought to nonetheless have entry to abortion. Do you suppose these exceptions needs to be backed up with a federal regulation?
REP. MACE: Nicely, completely. I am somebody who- I'm pro-life, however I do help exceptions for rape. I am a rape sufferer myself. And if you understand what's occurred in your life, the trauma, the emotional, the psychological, the bodily trauma in a girl's life, that decision- she ought to make that call along with her physician and between her and her God. And I've labored to help these exceptions in my life, not solely as a state lawmaker, however now as a member of Congress. And South Carolina has a fetal heartbeat invoice that was signed into regulation that had these exceptions as a result of I informed my rape story. And people tales are sometimes missed and criticized and ladies are attacked once they inform these tales. And that is one thing that I've talked about extensively all through the years as effectively.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I do know you may have and I need to discuss to you about these as effectively, as a result of there may be a lot nuance right here. I'll take a fast business break. And I need to ask you in additional element what sort of laws you suppose might move on the federal stage? What must occur on the state stage? So stick with us, in the event you would. We will likely be proper again in a second.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome again to FACE THE NATION. We need to proceed our dialog with South Carolina Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace. Congresswoman, you may have spoken publicly about being molested if you had been 14, raped at age 16, and the way that has formed your emotions and convictions about rape. I learn that you just mentioned that it took you 25 years to speak about your- your assault and that you just solely shared it together with your mom and one in all your good pals. So I ponder what you consider a few of these restrictions in states that might require rape victims to supply police reviews so as to acquire an abortion.
REP. MACE: Proper. Nicely, I- I can not converse to different states, I- from expertise as a state lawmaker, I do know that South Carolina's fetal heartbeat invoice wouldn't have handed with out exceptions for rape, incest and lifetime of the mom. And I informed that story. I felt it was really- a extremely vital story, a narrative that is usually missed and never informed as a result of ladies are afraid. And you may even see in public feedback and on social media once I discuss it, the methods by which that I get attacked for telling that story. And one of many issues that I believe partially that is lacking on this dialog is- is that. When you may have victims, when Ohio did their fetal heartbeat invoice, there was a ten-year-old woman that had been discovered to be pregnant who had been raped repeatedly by her father. And so, as I do know, it is a part of the Republican Celebration platform, the overwhelming majority of Republicans help these exceptions for rape and incest and lifetime of the mom and it is vital for for a few of us to step ahead and inform these tales which can be usually missed in all of this as effectively.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So to be clear, you'll help a vote in Congress, federal laws to enshrine these exceptions.
REP. MACE: Nicely, yeah. And I believe that- I believe one of many issues that is lacking and I am glad that you just're bringing this up in all of the dialog, the media protection about Roe v. Wade being overturned, is that what this does- It isn't an all-out federal ban on abortion, nevertheless it places it again into state legislatures and into Congress. You noticed Congress a few years in the past ban late time period abortions, for instance. And so what this does is it places it again to the states. It places it again into Congress to- to take care of and work out. And it was even Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who everyone knows was a- was working for girls's rights and thought there was a constitutional right--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --She did--
REP. MACE: --knew that Roe v Wade was flawed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah, she did. She mentioned that she mentioned that again within the nineties. It was an issue in her affirmation course of. However- so let's discuss states then. The governor of South Carolina, your property state, fellow Republicans, mentioned if Roe versus Wade is overturned, he desires additional restrictions with out these exceptions of rape or incest. He is contemplating limiting abortion after six weeks of being pregnant. Is that too restrictive?
REP. MACE: Nicely, I might- would solely help laws in South Carolina that have- had exceptions for rape and incest and lifetime of the mom. I do not imagine that- that-
MARGARET BRENNAN: What about six weeks of being pregnant?
REP. MACE: -would move with out these exceptions. Nicely that- that invoice has already been signed into regulation, the fetal heartbeat invoice for South Carolina that he signed, I suppose it was final yr, had- it was 6 to eight weeks is when the heartbeat is discovered. However that invoice had exceptions for rape and incest and lifetime of the mom. In order that regulation is already on the books in South Carolina and it will be as much as the legislature to find out if they need much more restrictions on it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However- however that is the place this will get messy, proper? As a result of in the event you're saying it is as much as the states once we take a look at nationwide polling, it reveals that there's a majority of People who need to type of hold the established order. On the state stage do you truly suppose the South Carolina legislature is in tune with public opinion right here? As a result of, I imply, our polling reveals greater than two thirds of Republicans say abortion needs to be usually out there or out there, with stricter limits. Is it a political mistake to simply paint this as- as pro-life, pro-choice?
REP. MACE: Nicely, I believe that a few of the polling is- is murky, too, will depend on the way you ask the query and who's paying for the polling. There may be some polling on the market that claims that there are solely 25% of People, some say as much as 30% that need abortion in each case, they do not need any restrictions. So that claims to me that there is a huge, overwhelming majority of People which can be okay with restrictions on abortion. We've got a few of the most liberal abortion legal guidelines on the earth. For those who take a look at Europe, there are numerous European nations that do not permit abortion after the primary trimester--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --12 weeks or so.
MACE: Yeah. And in Poland, for instance, they do not permit any abortions until there- it is rape, incest or lifetime of the mom.
MARGARET BRENNAN: --It's a little bit of an outlier there in Europe--
MACE: -- So it is a sophisticated issue--
MARGARET BRENNAN: It's.
REP. MACE: Proper. However the- Portugal's 12 weeks. Yeah.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Proper. Congresswoman, I need to shortly ask you, you are being primaried by a Trump-backed candidate. Do you suppose your place on that is going to make it extra sophisticated for you? Do you suppose President Trump remains to be the chief of your get together?
REP. MACE: Nicely, my place on- on life with exceptions for rape, incest and lifetime of the mom is in keeping with my district. It is in keeping with the vast majority of, I imagine, voters in my state as effectively. We have raised over 4 and a half million dollars for this race. My opponent has raised lower than 300,000. And, , I am working very exhausting to win this not simply by single digits, however by double digits. And I believe he is been- been given unhealthy recommendation. My opponent lost- had her top-secret safety clearance revoked for leaking labeled details about our army. I stay in a really fiscally conservative district, and he or she voted for the best tax hike in South Carolina historical past. And so there are very stark contrasts in our file. And we raised essentially the most cash, we now have the best polling, and I've acquired 40 days to go till the June major. I am trying ahead to profitable.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll look ahead to it. Thanks, Congresswoman. We'll be proper again.