Even Ann Coulter admits that 'strict' GOP abortion bans are going too far

06 April 2023

Abortion rights supporters enjoyed a major victory on Tuesday night, April 4 when liberal Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated far-right MAGA Republican Dan Kelly by 11 percent in an election for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. During her campaign, Protasiewicz hammered Kelly relentlessly as an anti-choice "extremist" who would enforce a pre-Civil War abortion ban that goes back to 1849. And her messaging worked.

Wisconsin's 1849 law was invalidated when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973. But 49 years later, in 2022, the High Court overturned Roe with its widely unpopular decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Protasiewicz, during her campaign, emphasized that Dobbs had brought the 1849 law back from the dead and attacked Kelly as someone who wanted to impose an 1849 standard on Wisconsin women in 2023.

Although the Wisconsin Supreme Court race was technically non-partisan, Democratic groups gave Protasiewicz a lot of support while MAGA Republicans and far-right Christian fundamentalists rallied around Kelly. Protasiewicz successfully made the race largely a referendum on abortion rights, and she attacked Kelly as the face of draconian anti-abortion extremism in the Republican Party.

Kelly's weakness as a candidate is not lost on author/pundit Ann Coulter. The right-wing firebrand has a long history of expressing anti-abortion views, but in a tweet posted after Protasiewicz's victory, even Coulter acknowledged that "strict" abortion bans are hurting her party.

Tweeting a New York Times article on the election results, Coulter warned fellow Republicans, "The demand for anti-abortion legislation just cost Republicans another crucial race. Pro-lifers: WE WON. Abortion is not a 'constitutional right' anymore! Please stop pushing strict limits on abortion, or there will be no Republicans left."

Some anti-abortion zealots on Twitter disagreed with Coulter's post, insisting that Republicans shouldn't compromise a bit on the abortion issue. Twitter user @johnamonaco wrote, "There's no half-measure to being pro-life. You're either for abortion, or against it. A pro-lifer who allows abortion in certain circumstances is an oxymoron." And @nikhilhogan told Coulter, "Disagree, Christians have to oppose all abortions, period."

But other Twitter users, including some conservative abortion opponents, agreed with Coulter. Conservative @773tom79 posted, "Agree 100%, we need compromise on this tough issue or we will continue to lose seats." And @MiaVendetta11 wrote, "Republicans refuse to compromise on this, but they'll compromise on immigration, massive spending bills, and gun rights — things that could actually help them win. I am pro-life, but I'm not willing to lose this country in order to 'win' on the abortion issue."

Twitter user Clint Buckingham, @clintbuckingham, argued, "I don't understand how the GOP was so unprepared for the post-Dobbs electorate considering overruling Roe was a five-decade priority of the party. There is no excuse for this lack of competence."

Some liberals and progressives responded to Coulter's tweet as well. David Badash, founder of the New Civil Rights Movement, posted, "This is the America many Republicans want: The Handmaid's Tale. This is not the America the vast majority of Americans want. This is what happens when Republicans 'win.'"

@HTTP_Lovecraft posted, "No, no, keep pushing unpopular social issues! You guys are doing great! I'm sure your economic policies don't have terrible histories either, right?" And @Funkenstein_PhD wrote, "Pro-lifers, don't give up! You need to maintain this energy until there are no more Republicans left."

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