Find out what the surveys really say about abortion, and public opinion in this revealing blog post!
How do people feel about abortion?.
The U.S. Has Consistently Been Split on Abortion Since the 1970 s
A poll conducted by Gallup in 2013, for example, showed that 47% of Americans believe abortions should be legal under certain circumstances while 46% believe it should be illegal under all circumstances. A CBS/New York Times poll conducted in 2011 revealed similar results—with 50% of Americans saying abortions should be legal only under certain circumstances, 33% saying they should be illegal but rare, and 15% believing they should always be illegal. This is far from a new trend; as early as 1975, polls have consistently shown that roughly half of Americans think abortion should be legal under some circumstances (such as rape or incest) while roughly half think it should never be permitted.
A Majority of Americans Support at Least Some Restrictions on Abortion Access.
As of 2013, more than 60% of Americans believe abortion should be legal under certain circumstances. Which situations? Well, 41% of Americans believe a woman should be able to terminate her pregnancy for any reason—and 40% that she should not. Furthermore, 7% say abortion should be illegal without exception; an additional 29% think it should always or usually be illegal but with exceptions. What these figures show is that a majority of Americans support at least some restrictions on access to abortion services... In fact, 51% said they supported limitations on abortion access only during the first three months of pregnancy. A minority (37%) said they opposed such limitations. And yet...as you may have heard from your news feed recently: The House passed a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks' gestation. The bill also includes language stating that no exemption will be made for victims of rape or incest who report their assault to authorities—so-called forcible rape language.
Most Americans Support Later Abortions if There Are Good Reasons.
Most Americans support a woman’s right to choose an abortion. And, despite recent efforts by President Trump and his administration to restrict a woman’s access to abortions, most Americans do not want abortions banned at any stage of pregnancy. However, if a woman is seeking an abortion because her fetus has severe abnormalities or problems with its health, most Americans support later abortions if there are good reasons for them. The same goes for pregnancies that result from rape or incest. In fact, most Americans believe that women should have access to abortions even after 24 weeks of pregnancy—as long as there are good reasons for it.
Less Than 20% Believe Roe Should Be Overturned.
The Supreme Court's decision to strike down Texas' restrictive abortion law doesn't appear to have dramatically changed American views on whether it should be legal for a woman to terminate her pregnancy. A new national poll by Pew Research Center shows 18% of Americans think abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, while 52% believe it should be legal in all or most cases. That's only slightly higher than 50 years ago, when just 6% thought abortion should always be illegal and 29% thought it was OK under certain circumstances. In between those two extremes are 13% who think abortion should be legal only sometimes and 8% who aren't sure. (Pew Research Center)
Most Americans Want All or Most Abortions Made Illegal.
A September 2018 survey conducted by NBC News found that 64% of adults believe abortions should be illegal in all or most cases. 26% said that it should be legal under all circumstances, while 10% had no opinion on legality. ... A May 2019 survey published by NPR/PBS News hour/ Maris Poll found that 64% of adults felt that most or all abortions should be illegal, with 27% saying they were legal under all circumstances. 9%, respectively, reported having no opinions on legality. ... A June 2019 Gallup poll found that 66% of Americans felt that most or all abortions should be illegal, compared to 29% who thought they should be legal under all circumstances. 5%, respectively, reported having no opinion on legality. ... In a January 2017 Quintilian University poll, 59% of respondents stated that abortion should either always (28%) or mostly (31%) be illegal.
How Gender, Age, Religion, Race/Ethnicity, and Political Party Affect Views on Abortion Policy.
A survey conducted by APIA Vote, Asian Americans Advancing Justice A.A.J.C, and A.A.P.I Data in early October 2014 showed that opinions on abortion policy vary dramatically between different racial groups. Asian Americans were overwhelmingly supportive of women’s rights to make their own reproductive health decisions. In contrast, Latinos and African Americans were significantly less supportive of women’s rights to control their own bodies than were other racial groups surveyed. Age was also a significant factor in views on abortion policy: younger people were more likely to support a woman’s right to choose an abortion, while older people tended to be more conservative.
Why Is It So Hard for People to Agree on This Issue?
The abortion debate has been active for almost a century, as early as 1920. (Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973). There are currently three basic camps: those who believe that it should be legal under any circumstances, those who believe that it should be illegal under all circumstances, and those that think it should be legal but only with certain restrictions. So why is it so hard for people to agree on a topic like abortion? It’s because they’re not reading past each other's titles. If you want to read more about abortion, check out my latest piece here! Title: Why Is It So Hard for People to Agree on This Issue? A Guide To Reading Between The Lines of Pro-Choice and Pro-Life Arguments.
How You Can Talk About Controversial Issues Like Abortion.
While you may be passionate about a particular topic, it is important to remember that your reader might not agree with you. This can make them less likely to pay attention to your content or believe its validity. While controversial issues like abortion can be especially difficult to discuss in an unbiased way, following these steps will help ensure that you don’t alienate your readers as you share your opinions: [list three steps] [your opinion on abortion] [your own experience with abortion] [additional research into your topic of choice] [information from another source]. It is also important to recognize that even if someone disagrees with you, they are still people too and deserve respect. Remembering to treat others well can go a long way toward creating open dialogue between those who hold opposing views.
