A majority of Americans, including most Democrats, support tighter restrictions on abortion that are prohibited by Roe v. Wade and companion rulings, according to a new survey.
The poll of 1,066 adults found that 75 percent of Americans say abortion should be limited to – at most – the “first three months of pregnancy,” according to a news release. This includes 92 percent of Republicans, 78 percent of independents and 60 percent of Democrats. Even 61 percent of people who identify as pro-choice want abortion to be limited to the first trimester.
The Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions legalized abortion through all nine months of the pregnancy.
The survey was conducted Jan. 8-10 by Marist and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.
“As in past years, this poll shows that the pro-choice label on the abortion issue is simply insufficient,” said Carl Anderson of the Knights of Columbus. “The majority of Americans — in both parties — support legal restrictions on abortion.”
The survey also found that 54 percent of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion in the U.S., and 75 percent oppose taxpayer funding of abortion abroad.
A total of 65 percent believe the Supreme Court should either outlaw abortion (16 percent) or allow restrictions as decided by each state (49 percent). Only 30 percent of Americans support unrestricted access to abortion.
A majority (56 percent) of Americans believe a fetus is a “unique life,” compared to 35 percent who say the fetus is “part of a woman’s body.”
Meanwhile, 62 percent oppose abortion in cases of Down Syndrome, and 59 percent would ban abortion after 20 weeks, except to save the mother’s life.
“Two-thirds of Americans want Roe revisited to allow for state regulation of abortion or to ban it altogether,” Anderson said. “The majority of the American people deserve to have their opinions heard.”
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
Photo courtesy: Unsplash/Aranxa Esteve
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