New Polling Finds that Support for Abortion Rights is Rising in the Face of Greater Restrictions
As conservative legislators prepare more abortion restrictions in states with large numbers of evangelical Christians, and Republican leaders plot ways to ban abortion pills, voters around the country are becoming more supportive of reproductive rights.
PRRI: "Support for abortion rights continues to increase among the American public, according to a new survey of more than 22,000 adults conducted by PRRI as part of its American Values Atlas project, which contains findings for all 50 states and the District of Columbia." ...
The survey was one of the largest ever carried out regarding abortion rights. PRRI found that 64% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in most or all cases, up from 55% in 2010. Only about a third of Americans [34%] say abortion should be illegal in most or all cases, down from 42% in 2010. The proportion of Americans who say abortion should be illegal in all cases also dropped from 15% in 2010 to 7% in December 2022.
PRRI's results were similar to those in a NPR/Ipsos poll several months earlier that found that 3 in 5 Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Despite the growing support for abortion rights nationally, even in conservative states like Texas, Republican lawmakers continue to introduce legislation to make it impossible for a woman to obtain a safe abortion.
New Republic: "A Texas Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill that would compel internet providers in the state to block websites that sell or provide information on how to obtain abortion pills."
"The Women and Child Safety Act, which was introduced late last week, would require that websites such as Plan C and Aid Access be cut off. It would also allow individuals to bring civil lawsuits against the people who maintain such sites. Abortion funds and their staffers could face criminal penalties for helping someone get an abortion even if they travel out of state, as could individuals who manufacture and distribute abortion pills in Texas or who provide information on how to get the drugs."
Visiting Texas recently, former Vice President Mike Pence endorsed the idea of banning medication abortions, saying “we need to” ban abortion pills in audio obtained by the website Jezebel.
And other Southern states are going even further. Georgia, Kentucky, and Alabama are all considering bills that would classify abortion as homicide, while a Republican legislator in South Carolina recently introduced a bill that would make abortion punishable by death.
As voters become increasingly uncomfortable with anti-choice restrictions, Republican legislators in red states like Missouri, Ohio, and Florida are seeking ways to stop ballot initiatives that would allow the people to decide the issue of abortion rights.
Pew Research Center: "Roused by voters’ recent endorsement of abortion rights — even in conservative states — Republican legislators are ramping up efforts to make it tougher for citizens to change laws or amend state constitutions through ballot measures."
More mainstream Republicans like Sen. Mitch McConnell would like the party to downplay the abortion issue heading into the 2024 election cycle but the GOP base is not about to let that happen. Conservatives in red states are aghast that women are still finding ways to end their pregnancies by traveling out of state or with abortion pills. They will push Republican presidential candidates to promise national restrictions if elected.
By: Don Lam & Curated Content
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