Wake up John McCain! Wake up weak kneed Republicans! Pro-lifers have won significant ground, according to a new poll sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. In fact, 71% of self-described pro-choice voters would significantly restrict abortion.
A new nationwide poll shows that 35 years after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in Roe v. Wade, public support for the court’s unrestricted access to abortion throughout an entire pregnancy stands at just 8%.
According to PR Newswire, here are some of the internals of the poll:
The poll asked respondents to state which of six statements came closest to describing their opinion on abortion.
— 8% of US residents chose option 1, that abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy;
— 8% chose option 2, that abortion should be allowed only during the first 6 months of pregnancy;
— 24% chose option 3, that abortion should be allowed only during the first 3 months of pregnancy;
— 32% chose option 4, that abortion should be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother;
— 15% chose option 5, that abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother; and
— 13% chose option 6, that abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance.
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson is quoted as saying the results are “indicative of the fact that term ‘pro-choice’ – when applied broadly – needlessly polarizes the discussion of abortion and masks the fact that there is broad consensus among Americans that abortion should be significantly restricted.”
I’ve seen many polls skewed to ask the question whether people favor overturning Roe V Wade which garners unimpressive support. And the media uses that as a cudgel to call us extreme. But the thing is that people don’t understand that overturning Roe v Wade would only allow the people to get to vote on abortion. People know that abortion is evil. I think much of the groundwork has been laid by the efforts of pro-lifers for decades. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to push.
October 14, 2008 at 11:27 pm
If 91% of people really want to restrict abortion, then why isn’t it restricted? If these percentages are accurate, then pro-life political candidates should enjoy broad support. But they don’t.
October 14, 2008 at 11:54 pm
There is so much miseducation on this issue it is deplorable. Even in my Law School Constitutional Law class, the professor, a homosexual activist, had the temerity to say that Roe only allowed abortions freely in the first trimester, restrictions in the second, and forbidden in the third.
He conveniently forgot to mention the companion case to Roe, Doe v. Bolton, which defined a “health” exception to mean essentially anything. That case was not read by the class because, well, it wasn’t in our textbook.
October 14, 2008 at 11:59 pm
dcs,
You are really missing the point. The pro-abortion lobby has very successfully lead people to believe that over-turning Roe-v-Wade effectively outlaws abortion. It doens’t, but people generally do not understand this.
Further, pro-life political candidates do not enjoy more support because their hands are effectively tied by Roe v Wade. If this issue ever reverted to the states and the discussion turned to reasonable restrictions, the public support would likely be very great.
But for right now, that is not where the debate is.
October 15, 2008 at 12:05 am
I’ve long known that most people oppose most abortions. But to see that 60% of the people oppose over 95% of abortions ought to signal a wonderful opportunity for education.
October 15, 2008 at 2:32 am
The pro-abortion lobby has very successfully lead people to believe that over-turning Roe-v-Wade effectively outlaws abortion. It doens’t, but people generally do not understand this.
I’m not sure I believe this. How can Americans still be fooled after almost 36 years of the abortion regime? I don’t think the abortion lobby has such power. Abortion is legal because people want it to be legal. They may say they favor restrictions, but when push comes to shove they vote for abortion, whether out of pragmatism or malice I don’t know. I think the best one can say is that Americans favor restrictions on abortion, but it really isn’t all that important to them.
October 15, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I am a liberal pro-lifer and I like to spend my time learning about views from all sides. More people should do the same. Anyway – as I am pro-life I do agree with most of you. But, because I have spent much time in peaceful conversation with pro-choicers, here are some of the reasons that even though they don’t like abortion, they dont’ want to make it illegal. (it might help you to have this information so when you debate a pro-choicer you will be prepared to respond).
1. Always the rape and incest thing to consider. If an 11 year old girl (who’s body is still small and may not be able to handle pregnancy well) is raped – why should she then have to carry a child that will remind her every day of the crime against her? Being pregnant at a young age has many consequences emotionally and physically. PLus people may call her a slut and she will likely fall behind in school. why does she deserve this?
2. What are we doing for these babies once they are born? Though republicans are mostly pro-life, they are also less likely to approve of social programs to help out those who have been born. So with all of these extra babies – how will they be cared for?
3. Some just do not believe that life begins at conception. So while we feel it is killing a human life, others disagree. This makes for a tough argument because where is our solid proof?
4. Some feel that while they would never personally have an abortion, that women should be able to make that choice for themself. For instance, when Sarah Palin commends her daughter on her CHOICE, pro-choicers are thinking “but you don’t think that abortion should be a choice??”.
5. How can you be pro-life and not provide the education necessary to teens/kids that they need to make a smart decision? While I agree that kids should be taught how to say no and that abstinence is the only sure way to stay baby-free. Some teens still will have sex – it’s a natural human thing. Teens have always been having sex, not just our generation (my granparents got married after a teen pregnancy for instance). Teens need to be provided with information about and access to birth control. This way there will be less unwanted pregnancies, and therefore less abortions.
But because it is more likely that a pro-life person will be against this education and access to birth control – some think it is crazy and what would you do with all of those additional babies born to teens and to people who do not want them? Yes it is unfortunate – but there are people who are very bad parents. How are we going to help those kids?
Remember – I am on your side for the most part (Well, I agree with more birth control, so maybe not completely) but I really think the 2 sides need to see where the other is coming from. I helped out the pro-life cause by presenting the pro-life view to a pro-choice crowd. Now I’m presenting this side.
October 15, 2008 at 5:32 pm
1. Always the rape and incest thing to consider. If an 11 year old girl (who’s body is still small and may not be able to handle pregnancy well) is raped – why should she then have to carry a child that will remind her every day of the crime against her? Being pregnant at a young age has many consequences emotionally and physically. PLus people may call her a slut and she will likely fall behind in school. why does she deserve this?
…..What about the damage done to the person from the abortion (not to mention that pregnancy from rape is extremely rare so the exeption should not govern the rule)
2. What are we doing for these babies once they are born? Though republicans are mostly pro-life, they are also less likely to approve of social programs to help out those who have been born. So with all of these extra babies – how will they be cared for?
……Instead of spending about $300 million paying for abortions, use this money to build social programs and crisis pregnancy centres
3. Some just do not believe that life begins at conception. So while we feel it is killing a human life, others disagree. This makes for a tough argument because where is our solid proof?
…….Read any good embryology textbook and anyone can see that a new life is formed at conception (embryo is biologically different from both mother and father)
4. Some feel that while they would never personally have an abortion, that women should be able to make that choice for themself. For instance, when Sarah Palin commends her daughter on her CHOICE, pro-choicers are thinking “but you don’t think that abortion should be a choice??”.
……Mostly, women see abortion as their only “choice” as there are no other options they see for themselves
5. How can you be pro-life and not provide the education necessary to teens/kids that they need to make a smart decision? While I agree that kids should be taught how to say no and that abstinence is the only sure way to stay baby-free. Some teens still will have sex – it’s a natural human thing. Teens have always been having sex, not just our generation (my granparents got married after a teen pregnancy for instance). Teens need to be provided with information about and access to birth control. This way there will be less unwanted pregnancies, and therefore less abortions.
……Birth control and abortion are fruits from the same tree… this is like saying because contraception was legalized in 1965 there would be no need for abortions (but yet abortions were made legal only 8 years later and continue to take many lives even though birth control is widely available).
October 15, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Always the rape and incest thing to consider.
I thought you said you were pro-life? But here you support killing children.
So with all of these extra babies – how will they be cared for?
What extra babies? Have you tried to adopt lately? Do you know how many “extra babies” there actually are out there?
Some just do not believe that life begins at conception. So while we feel it is killing a human life, others disagree.
They are wrong.
Teens need to be provided with information about and access to birth control.
Ugh.
October 15, 2008 at 8:53 pm
About the birth control issue – as that is one issue I disagree with most of you with – so are we just supposed to all have 12 kids?? Or have sexless marriages?? I grew up the oldest of 6 and my parents stopped having kids when they were 30. My mom is 50 and still hasn’t gone through menopause. So should she have continued to have babies and be on number 20 now?? Seriously. Or just stopped having sex?
I know many many Catholics who use birth control of one form of another. If the sperm never fertilizes the egg – how is that a problem? Many sperm are “wasted” even with regular sex. I can believe life starts at conception, but not that each sperm should only be used to attempt to fertilize an egg….
October 15, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Anonymous,
The sin of contraception is a tough teaching for everyone (even the vast majority of Catholics don’t believe in it!). The Church, however, does not condemn using Natural Family Planning (a woman can only get pregnant only a few days a month). In addition, contraception thins the lining of the uterus and so if an egg is released (which can happen since the doses used in contraception is too low) an embryo can still form but since it cannot attach to the uterus, the embryo dies, thus resulting in an early chemical abortion (they estimate that millions of children die this early and the mothers do not even know it).
Also, just because most Catholics use birth control does not mean Church teaching is wrong (God is not a democracy)
October 16, 2008 at 4:10 pm
It is probably very true that 90% of Americans support some restrictions on abortion. And here is where the polls meet the facts. So lets look at the facts and try to interpret them. Guttmacher is fairly reliable when it comes to reporting these statistics.
1. 2% of women have abortions every year.
2. 22% of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.
3. Among whites, 40% of pregnancies are unintended. 69% among blacks and 54% among Hispanics.
4. 50% of the women who obtain abortions are younger than 25. 33% are aged 20-24. 17% are teenagers.
5. 43% of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestants. 27% as Catholics.
6. 2/3 of all abortions are by women who have never been married.
7. 60% of abortions are obtained by women who already have one or more children.
8. 44% of women who have abortions had used a contraceptive method (condom or pill) during the month they got pregnant.
9. 46% of women who have abortions had not used a contraceptive method during the month they became pregnant. 33% of these believed they were at low risk, 32% had concerns about contraception, 26% had unexpected sex, only 1% had been forced to have sex.
10. 89% of abortions occur in the first 12 weeks.
61% at less than 9 weeks
18% at 9-10 weeks
10% at 11-12 weeks
Only 1% of abortions occur at 21 weeks or more.
11) Medication abortion, mifepristone, accounted for 13% of all abortions and 22% of abortions before 9 weeks.
12. Minors (under 18) and women aged 40 and older accounted for fewer than 10% combined.
13. Teenagers and women over 40 terminate a higher proportion of their pregnancies.
14. 86% of abortions were received by unmarried women.
15. Reasons women cite for having abortions:
3/4 cite concern or responsibilities for others
3/4 say they cannot afford another child
3/4 say that a baby would interfere with work, school, or family responsibilities.
1/2 do not want to be single parents or report having problems with a partner.
Upon examining all this several things are apparent that I believe most Americans in general are not aware of.
1) There is a HUGE correlation with birth control and abortion.
2) Most women BELIEVE they cannot get pregnant because of birth control or perhaps age/health related infertility.
3) An overwhelming majority of women already have a family and believe having another with put a undue burden on them either financially or by interfering with work or school.
4) Correlate these with recent birth statistics which cite that a full 37% of babies were born out of wedlock. 50% of babies born to women under 30 were born out of wedlock. 67% of babies born to HS dropouts were born out of wedlock. 52% of babies born to HS graduates were born out of wedlock.
Only 14% of babies born to college graduates were born out of wedlock.
5) Christian women account for 70% of abortions.
A majority of women are having abortions because they are working on a career or perhaps already have children. Most of these women are Christians themselves. Most of them have a false sense of security regarding their sex lives and believe they are being fully responsible. While most agree that abortion is heinous and most say “personally” they wouldn’t have one and that they support restrictions, abortion still remains legal. And it will continue to be so. Overturning Roe v. Wade is not a scare tactic. Most people know it accomplishes absolutely nothing.
It’s time to end the rhetoric and name-calling and begin to address the issue within Christian circles. When we have the courage to get to the root of this problem, we’ll begin to make some real headway.