In September, Townhall described how data from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, once affiliated with Planned Parenthood, showed that the number of abortions increased significantly in early 2023, months after the Supreme Court overturned the ruling Roe v. Wade. They claim this happened because women travel for abortions or take abortion pills.
This week, a new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll conducted at the University of Chicago found that 55 percent of Americans “believe a pregnant woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion if she wants it for any reason.” According to the article, this is one of the highest levels on record since unbiased researchers began monitoring it in the 1970s.
New WSJ-NORC poll results show Americans’ support for abortion access is at one of the highest levels ever. “Every woman has different experiences and health complications.” https://t.co/pvwYXecPBuhttps://t.co/pvwYXecPBu
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 20, 2023
By political party, 77 percent of Democrats said they would support access to abortion for any reason. That’s a jump from 52 percent in 2016. As for Republicans, one-third said they would support access to abortion for any reason.
The poll, conducted for the Journal by NORC at the University of Chicago, polled 1,163 registered voters Oct. 19-24 (via WSJ):
Many voters have a range of views, including supporting restrictions later in pregnancy and exceptions in complex circumstances, which they believe are not well covered in current legislative proposals. Nearly nine in ten survey respondents support access to abortion in cases of rape, incest or when the pregnancy seriously threatens the woman’s health.
Several Ohio voters commented on abortion in the poll. As Townhall mentioned, Ohio recently passed a state amendment that enshrines abortion access into the state constitution (via WSJ):
Barbara Weigand, 80, a Democratic voter in Hartville, Ohio, had difficulty choosing how to vote on her state’s ballot measure.
She believes that women should be able to take care of their own health and encourage access to abortion for most of their lives. However, since his religious awakening at the age of 60, he now believes that God is in every person’s life. He typically votes Democratic because he agrees with the party’s stance on more gun regulations and ensuring financial security for seniors. However, the vote did not ask for her opinion on these issues.
“Ultimately, I voted against the issue because I couldn’t disappoint God,” she said.
The WSJ noted that the partisan divide on abortion emerged in the 1990s. The poll found that 86 percent of respondents support access to abortion in cases of rape or incest, and 89 percent support it when the woman’s health is “seriously threatened.”
From Roe was overturned, pro-abortion groups targeted countries with pro-life laws. This month, abortion advocates launched a ballot initiative in Nebraska to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, similar to what happened recently in Ohio.
“Nebraska law currently allows abortion for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, but that is not enough for the abortion industry and activists who are trying to write abortions in the second and third trimesters into our constitution. This amendment would allow abortion up to the point of delivery,” Nebraska Right to Life Executive Director Sandy Danek said in a statement. “This vote is not pro-choice, it is pro-abortion and does not reflect the values of Nebraskans.”
