Ann Coulter Warns Republicans Are Out of Touch on Abortion

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter continued to criticize Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' latest abortion ban legislation in his state on Saturday, saying that Republicans have hurt their chances in past elections because of their stances on the medical procedure.

DeSantis, who is widely viewed as a favorable candidate for the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination, but has not yet announced plans to run, signed a bill on Thursday banning abortion in his state after six weeks of pregnancy. However, the bill, SB 300 or the "Heartbeat Protection Act," provides exceptions in the case of rape or incest, in which an abortion is permitted up to 15 weeks if the woman can provide documentation such as a restraining order or a police report. The new bill also maintains existing exemptions for life and the health of the mother up to 15 weeks.

The governor's signature came amid the backdrop of conservatives' nationwide effort to restrict abortion access, as Democrats push to protect women's right to choose the medical procedure. Whether SB 300 comes into effect is dependent on the legal challenges to a previous bill signed by DeSantis last April that prohibits abortion after 15 weeks, which is due to appear before the state Supreme Court.

Some Republican-led states have either limited or banned abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last June in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case that reversed Roe v. Wade, a 1973 landmark decision that gave women the federal constitutional right to have abortions. The Dobbs v. Jackson case stated that the authority to regulate abortion policies should be "returned to the people and their elected representatives." Overturning Roe allowed some states to enact their so-called "trigger laws," which granted them the right to issue and regulate their own abortion policies and laws.

"6-week abortion ban was an unforced error. Does no one remember [former representative] Todd Akin? How about the 11 elections Republicans have lost with strict anti-abortion positions since Dobbs?" Coulter tweeted on Saturday, pointing that Republicans can ruin their winning chances in elections by supporting candidates whose views are too far-right.

Akin was a former Republican Missouri congressman who represented a state district that included St. Louis-area suburbs for 12 years. The late representative, who strongly opposed abortion, ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2012, but hurt his party's chances of winning the Senate majority because of his controversial comments related to abortion, according to the Associated Press.

The congressman, who died in 2021, was asked during an interview by a St. Louis television station in 2012 about his stance on accessing abortion in the case of rape. He responded that "from what I understand from doctors" that such pregnancies are "really rare."

"If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," he said, sparking outrage at the time. Shortly afterwards, his campaign said he "misspoke," with Akin later admitting he was wrong.

Coulter also shared a Financial Times article in her Saturday tweet, which reported that some major Republican donors are concerned about the direction of Republican-led states such as Florida.

Speaking on Saturday with the Financial Times, Thomas Peterffy, a Hungarian-born American billionaire and a top GOP donor, said, "I have put myself on hold," while discussing financing DeSantis' possible presidential bid. "Because of his stance on abortion and book banning...myself, and a bunch of friends, are holding our powder dry."

Meanwhile, Coulter on Friday shared a tweet criticizing Republicans' effort to restrict abortion access, in the wake of the new bill that passed in Florida.

"A six week abortion ban? What a gamble for DeSantis. Democrats won the MI Gov., PA Gov., and WI Supreme Court races by double digits after making abortion the central issue. If DeSantis is the [2024] nominee, it's possible this decides the election," Logan Phillips, the founder and editor-in-chief of Race to the WH, wrote in the Twitter post shared by Coulter, who commented "total disaster." Race to the WH uses data-driven models to forecast elections and tracks the latest polling in both general elections and primary races, according to its website.

Newsweek reached out by email to DeSantis' media office for comment.