The 19th: House Republicans’ Lies About Their Anti-Abortion Extremism “undercut by their records and past stances”

In competitive U.S. House races from coast to coast, Republicans are distancing themselves - rhetorically - from their party's hardline anti-abortion stances, sharing positions on reproductive health care that include supporting some access to abortion and protecting procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Most, however, are still less supportive of abortion rights than their Democratic rivals - and in some cases, the policies they say they support or oppose now are undercut by their records and past stances.

Lawler is far less supportive of abortion rights than a moderate Democrat and has earned a "B" rating from the anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America.

He did not break with his party in their unanimous support for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, legislation that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists called "not based in science or medicine."

Lawler also opposes nurses and midwives providing abortion care.

In Arizona, where Rep. Juan Ciscomani is in a rematch against former state house lawmaker Kirsten Engel, the first-term Republican has called the state's now-defunct strict abortion ban from the 1800s "archaic" and says he supports IVF. He has long characterized abortion as an issue for the states and not the federal government but as a member of the House Appropriations Committee backed banning the distribution of mifepristone by mail.

In an op-ed explaining her IVF position, Steel nevertheless reiterated that she believes life begins at conception. SBA Pro-Life America gives her an "A+" rating.

"House Republicans know their extreme anti-choice records are their biggest vulnerability, so they're saying anything in a desperate attempt to deceive voters," DCCC spokesperson Viet Sheldon told The 19th, adding that the organization will continue to fact check GOP candidates' records in the final weeks before Election Day.

Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer says she will oppose federal legislation that might change access to reproductive health care. The first-term lawmaker voted for a bill to block the Defense Department from reimbursing military service members and their dependents who have to travel out of state to obtain an abortion. She also supported a GOP effort to prohibit insurance plans sold on Affordable Care Act exchanges from covering abortion.

New York Rep. Brandon Williams, who has an "A+" rating from SBA Pro Life America, wrote an op-ed saying that while he personally opposes abortion and called Dobbs a "monumental victory" for the anti-abortion movement.

In competitive districts where Democrats are trying to hold onto their seats, Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild is being challenged by Republican Ryan Mackenzie, who touted his "100% pro-life voting record" as recently as May before removing it from his website. As a state lawmaker, Mackenzie voted for bills that would require a funeral or cremation for fetal remains; prohibit dilation and extraction abortions after 20 weeks; and prevent Affordable Care Act plans from covering abortion.

Christina Reynolds of EMILYs List, which works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, said some Republican candidates are "counting on voters to be busy and not drill down on this" issue.

"What we fundamentally believe is that Republicans have not changed their agenda, they have changed their wrapping around it, they are trying to rebrand," she said. "The good news is that voters understand who got us here."