Most Americans are Moderates on Abortion and Oppose Efforts to Overturn Roe v. Wade
Abortion has always been a difficult issue to poll because there is a great amount of nuance in the opinions of voters. Questions such as, "are you pro-life or pro-choice," don't tell you the whole story. Many pro-life voters want exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life/health of the mother. Likewise, many people who identify as pro-choice still support 24 hour waiting periods and oppose late-term abortions unless they are done to protect the mother.
However, recent polling by the PBS News Hour, NPR, and Marist is clear on two points; Americans oppose the new restrictions included in Alabama's and Georgia's new abortion regulations, and few support overturning Roe v Wade.
PBS: "Only 33 percent of Americans support so-called “heartbeat laws” that have gained traction in several states this year, the poll found. The laws prohibit abortions after cardiac activity is detectable at around six to eight weeks, which can be before a woman realizes she is pregnant."
"Similarly, less than a quarter of U.S. adults support making it a crime for a doctor to perform an abortion — a provision included in a recently-passed Alabama law that bans nearly all abortions."
The polling also found that just 14% of registered voters support overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion across America in 1973. 51% support Roe as it stands or would like to see abortion rights expanded.
Republicans, however, who have worked since the 1970s to overturn Roe feel like they have a real chance with the additions of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. So, red state legislatures, such as those in Georgia and Alabama, are moving quickly to pass extreme laws which undermine Roe to spark litigation that could get to the Supreme Court. This poll suggests that Republicans should proceed with caution. The vast majority of Americans view their recent legislation as too extreme.
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