Abortion support declining among women

                                                                                        from Short Spots, Vol. XVI, No. 7, August 2003

     A new study by the Center for the Advancement of Women showed 51% of women now believe abortion should be legally prohibited in the overwhelming percentage of cases. The survey, conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, found 17% believe there should be a total ban on abortion, while 34% say it should be outlawed, except in the cases of saving the mother's life and pregnancy as a result of rape or incest. The figures in both categories are three percent increases over the results reported in 2001. Overall, the survey found 68% believe there should be more restrictions on abortion than now exist. Of these, 17% said abortion should be available but "under stricter limits." Thirty percent said it "should be generally available to those who want it." Of 12 issues listed in the survey, "keeping abortion legal" ranked 11th as a "top priority." Only 41 percent of women ranked abortion as a "top priority." That total is 8% less than in 2001. At the top of the ranking for priority issues were "reducing domestic violence and sexual assault," 92%, and "equal pay for equal work," 90%. "There is significant and growing support for severe restrictions on abortion rights," said Faye Wattleton, president of the Center for the Advancement of Women. Wattleton formerly was president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. "We are losing ground on many hard-won victories for women's rights, which could ambush the status that women have achieved." Shannon Royce, consultant to the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said, "Obviously, we're delighted. It shows we are making progress in winning back the hearts and minds of American women." The report may be accessed at www.advancewomen.org by going to "progress & perils." [BP]