Nearly every day, MAGA Republicans prove just how extreme their party has become. Not only have Republicans waged a decades-long war on Americans’ fundamental freedom to make their own decisions about their bodies, but Republican candidates and lawmakers across the country are trying to go even further and are calling for a ban on all abortions – with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Republican senators – including the head of Senate Republicans’ campaign arm – refused to say whether they support abortion ban exceptions in the case of rape or incest, and some even took the extreme position of calling for a federal abortion ban.
Insider: “Republican senators won’t say if they support rape and incest exceptions to abortion bans: ‘Come back and see me after the Supreme Court rules’”
Insider: “Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, the only woman in the Senate GOP’s leadership, refused to even consider the subject.”
Sen. Rick Scott: “Let’s see what the decision is, and then let’s see what states do.”
HuffPost’s Igor Bobic: “Lankford says he supports a federal ban on abortion but doesn’t believe the votes are there — yet.”
NBC News’s Frank Thorp V: “Sen Cramer says if SCOTUS does away w/ Roe, ‘I think you could expect that pro-life activists would would push for federal protections. Yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t take that off the table.’”
In South Carolina, the same state where former vice president and anti-abortion extremist Mike Pence will today visit a crisis pregnancy center, Governor Henry McMaster is calling a special legislative session to pass restrictive abortion bills and stated he doesn’t believe in exceptions for rape or incest.
The State: “SC’s McMaster says he’d back restrictive abortion bills without exceptions with Roe out”
WIS TV: “The governor added he does not believe there should be exceptions for rape or incest in abortion bans.”
When asked if they support a federal ban on ALL abortions with no exceptions, every Republican candidate running for IA-03 raised their hand.
Q: “In your mind, should all abortions be illegal in this country? Hand up if you say yes. All abortions, no exceptions.”
In Georgia, leading Republican candidates for Senate and governor backed the extreme position of banning abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “The Jolt: Perdue, GOP Senate candidates push full abortion ban, even after rape or incest”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “At the Atlanta Press Club’s Senate GOP debate on Tuesday, four of the five contenders on stage said they’d back legislation that forbids all abortions, even in the case of rape or incest.”
David Perdue: “I’m elated with the decision if in fact it comes down …. If I were governor when that ruling comes down, I would call the General Assembly back in and ask them to eliminate all of abortion in the state of Georgia.”
It’s a similar story in Pennsylvania, where extreme MAGA candidates have called for more restrictive abortion laws and implied they opposed exceptions for rape or incest.
Philadelphia Inquirer: “State Sen. Doug Mastriano of Franklin County, polling as a front-runner in the Republican primary, noted in a televised debate last week that the first piece of legislation he introduced in Harrisburg three years ago would have banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy […] Mastriano said he would allow no exceptions for rape, incest, or a danger to the life of the pregnant person.”
North Carolina’s Ted Budd and Pat McCrory both indicated that they support a total ban on abortion and would not allow exceptions for survivors of sexual assault or child abuse victims.
Charlotte Observer: “Speaking generally about his position on Roe v. Wade, McCrory said he believes the case is a constitutional overreach. Asked by CBS in April whether he thinks abortion should be allowed in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in danger, Budd said the situation should be viewed ‘as a tragedy,’ but ‘let’s make sure we don’t add more tragedy to an already tough situation.’”
WRAL: “Budd’s campaign website lists ‘protecting sanctity of life’ as a top policy priority. On the campaign trail, the congressman has indicated his opposition to abortion in all cases, including rape or incest. In an interview ahead of a debate last week, Budd called such circumstances for women a ‘tragedy,’ but suggested they shouldn’t be allowed to get an abortion.”
MAGA Republican governors and state legislatures have already put laws on the books criminalizing or banning abortions with no exceptions for rape or incest.
The Atlantic: “Twenty-two states have abortion bans that would become law almost immediately if a leaked Supreme Court decision on abortion rights goes into effect. Many of these state bans contain no exceptions for rape or incest survivors.”
Washington Post: “Lori Rozsa reports that when asked at a news conference in Fort Myers Beach about the leaked Roe draft opinion, DeSantis touted a law he signed last month that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape, incest or human trafficking.”
Public Radio Tulsa: “Stitt signs bill criminalizing abortion in Oklahoma with no exceptions for rape, incest”
Forbes: “Texas Gov. Abbott Still Refuses To Add Rape And Incest Exemptions To Abortion Law”
News Channel 9: “Tennessee law if Roe v. Wade overruled does not have rape, incest, mental health exclusion”
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