Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina’s 1st District marked Domestic Violence Awareness Month by expressing support for survivors and calling for stronger laws to protect victims and hold abusers accountable.
“This fight is personal. As a survivor of domestic violence, we will never stop working to ensure victims are protected and abusers are punished,” said Congresswoman Mace. “Too often, survivors are failed by the system meant to protect them.”
Mace has introduced several pieces of legislation aimed at increasing protections for women and children. These include the RESPECT Act, which increases penalties for sharing or threatening to share explicit images, including those generated by artificial intelligence; the Rape Shield Enhancement Act, which aims to strengthen courtroom protections for victims; and the HONOR Act, which updates military law to address digital exploitation such as revenge porn and deepfakes among service members.
Other legislative efforts from Mace include raising civil penalties for nonconsensual pornography, closing loopholes in federal voyeurism law, allowing victims to sue perpetrators of video and photo voyeurism, and prohibiting biological men from women’s facilities on federal property. Additional measures focus on preventing violence by expanding grounds for deporting foreign nationals who commit sex offenses or crimes against children.
Mace also highlighted community resources available to support survivors, listing organizations such as the National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline, My Sister’s House, Hopeful Horizons, Tri-County S.P.E.A.K.S., Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center, and Kay Phillips Child Advocacy Center. She encouraged constituents to reach out to her Daniel Island or Beaufort offices for assistance.
Nancy Mace has represented South Carolina’s 1st District in Congress since 2021 after replacing Joe Cunningham. Before serving in Congress, she was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2018 to 2020. Born in Fort Bragg in 1977 and currently residing in Charleston, Mace graduated from The Citadel with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1999.
Further information about her ongoing efforts can be found through her official channels.
