Abortion Support Falls

by  Tom Strode                                                                                                                                       Vol. XXII, No. 9, Nov/Dec 2009

The American public continues to show a decline in its support for abortion rights. A new survey of more than 4,000 adults found 47% said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, a drop of 7% since August 2008. Meanwhile, the poll showed 45% say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, an increase of 4%.

The results were similar to a survey of more than 1,500 adults in the spring.

Both nationwide surveys were performed by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in conjunction with the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The most recent poll, released Oct. 1, was conducted Aug. 11-27.

Since 1995, all surveys, with the exception of the two this year and an August 2001 poll, have shown a majority of Americans favor legal abortion, according to Pew.

While there was no apparent reason for the change in the public opinion, Pew suggested "the election of a pro-choice Democrat for president may be a contributing factor."

President Obama gained election to the White House in November despite a legislative record in support of abortion without restrictions. Although he has promoted abortion reduction, Obama has acted to overturn restrictions on funding abortions and organizations that promote and perform the procedures.

The survey showed the greatest decline in support for abortion was among Republicans, male Democrats, and white Roman Catholics. The results demonstrated:

-- a 10% drop in support for legalized abortion among white, non-Hispanic Catholics who attend mass at least once a week.

-- a 9% decrease among Democratic men.

-- a 7% fall among Republicans.

A survey conducted in May by a partnership between the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's organization, and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion found 49% of Americans describe themselves as pro-life, an increase of 5% since last October, and 48% identify themselves as pro-choice, a drop of 2% in that time span. [BP]