Survey: By a More Than a Two to One Margin, Americans Want Abortion Pills to Remain Legal

A federal judge in Texas appointed by Donald Trump last week invalidated the Food and Drug Administration’s long-standing approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. The ruling has been appealed by the Biden administration and it's expected to end up at the US Supreme Court where its fate is uncertain. What's becoming clear, however, is that the judge's decision is quite unpopular.
Americans overwhelmingly oppose Republican efforts to ban the use of abortion medications. According to a new Pew Research Center survey conducted before the Texas rulings on medication abortion, 53% of adults say that abortion pills should be legal in their state, while just 22% believe they should be illegal. 24% say they aren't sure.
In the demographic breakdown, the only groups that oppose medication abortions are white evangelical protestants and those who identify as conservative Republicans. Young women [71-12%], those who have read a lot about medication abortions [72-19%], liberals [88-2%], and those that aren't religious [74-7%] overwhelmingly support the availability of abortion pills. Even the majority of Catholics [46-26%] and more moderate Republicans [50-20%] oppose efforts to make such medications illegal.
Republican efforts to ban mifepristone are meant to appeal to their evangelical base but risk further alienating independents and moderates in both parties.
By: Don Lam & Curated Content