Roe vs. Wade turns 30, but future anniversaries are in threat.
(ABCNEWS.com)
Conditional Support
Poll: Thirty Years After Roe vs. Wade, American Support Is Conditional
Analysis By Dalia Sussman
Jan. 22
— Thirty years after Roe vs. Wade, public support for legal abortion is highly conditional: In some cases, such as to save the woman's life, it's overwhelming; but in others — notably, solely to terminate an unwanted pregnancy — most Americans oppose the procedure.
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Generally, 57 percent in this ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and 54 percent favor the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 ruling that made it so. While 42 percent want the government and the courts to make abortions harder to get, more either support the status quo, or favor fewer restrictions.
Still, Americans long have been uneasy with the procedure and the reasons it's done — and these doubts remain. Eight in 10 or more say an abortion should be legal to save the woman's life, to preserve her health, or when the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest. A much smaller majority, 54 percent, supports legal abortion if there's evidence the baby will be physically impaired.
However, 57 percent oppose abortion solely to end an unwanted pregnancy — "if the mother is unmarried and does not want the baby." And opposition soars to about seven in 10 or more for so-called "partial-birth abortions" or abortions conducted in the sixth month of pregnancy or later.
These views, however, do not constitute a call for broad anti-abortion activism. Forty-one percent say the government and the courts should not alter the current availability of abortions, and an additional 15 percent say they should be easier to get; that leaves the 42 percent, cited above, who want abortions made harder to obtain.
American Views on Abortion
Situation
Should Be Legal
Should Be Illegal
All or Most Cases
57%
42
To Save Woman's Life
88
10
To Save Woman's Health
82
14
In Cases of Rape/Incest
81
17
Physically Impaired Baby
54
40
To End Unwanted Pregnancy
42
57
D&X/Partial-Birth Abortions
23
69
Pregnancy is 6 Months+
11
86
Few Extreme Cases in Abortions
Data on why women say they had an abortion are scarce, but a 1988 study cited by the Alan Guttmacher Institute found that few were done for health reasons or because the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest. Most women cited financial concerns or problems with their relationships, or said they weren't ready to have a child.
Late-term and partial-birth abortions, which generate the greatest opposition, account for a tiny percentage of all abortions. Fewer than 2 percent of abortions are done after the fifth month, according to a 1999 report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and fewer than two-tenths of 1 percent are partial-birth abortions, according to a 2000 report by the Guttmacher Institute.
At 57 percent, support for legal abortion in all or most cases is about what it's been on average in polls that have asked it this way since 1995. Most Americans eschew the extreme positions: 23 percent want abortion legal in all cases, and 17 percent want it illegal in all cases. About a third say it should be mostly legal; a quarter, mostly illegal.
Sampling, data collection and tabulation
for this poll were done by TNS Intersearch.
No Battle of the Sexes
Age, education and religion each plays a strong role in informing people's views on the issue. But despite conventional wisdom, sex does not. Indeed, as usual, men and women support legal abortion in roughly equal numbers: 54 percent of men, and 58 percent of women, say it should be legal in all or most cases.
In the various conditions tested, moreover, men and women express virtually identical views:
Favoring Abortion: Men Versus Women
Situation
Men
Women
All or Most Cases
54%
58
To Save Woman's Life
88
88
To Save Woman's Health
82
83
In Cases of Rape/Incest
80
81
Physically Impaired Baby
53
55
To End Unwanted Pregnancy
43
40
D&X/Partial-Birth Abortions
28
19
Pregnancy is 6 Months+
15
8
Younger, better-educated Americans and people who profess no religion are more likely to support legal abortion. Catholics are somewhat more supportive than Protestants while opposition is highest among evangelical white Protestants.
Ideology and political partisanship are also strong factors. Sixty-three percent of Democrats and 69 percent of liberals support legal abortion; 55 percent of Republicans and 58 percent of conservatives oppose it. Independents and moderates are more apt to support it.
Most Oppose Partial Birth Abortions
With control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it's expected the Republicans will move to ban "partial-birth" abortions, also known as dilation and extraction abortions. Congress has twice before passed such measures, both vetoed by then-President Clinton. President Bush has said he would sign the bill.
The 69 percent in this poll who say partial-birth abortions shouldn't be legal takes in majorities across demographic groups, including 60 percent of Democrats and 63 percent of liberals.
Methodology
This ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Jan. 16-20, among a random national sample of 1,133 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Fieldwork was conducted by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.
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