Abortion access has been a major topic of discussion since the fall of 2021, when Texas passed SB 8, a state law prohibiting abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. Since then, several other states, such as South Dakota, Florida and Ohio, have introduced laws restricting access to abortion. A recent poll released this week shows how many Democrats think the government should address the abortion issue in 2022.
An Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Thursday found that 13 percent of Democrats see abortion or reproductive rights as one of the most vital issues the government should address in 2022. That’s an enhance from 2021 ., when one percent of Democrats cited the issue, and from three percent who cited it in 2020. Other issues Democrats in the poll ranked as a priority were the economy, gun control and health care health.
“The public has many issues they would like the government to address,” noted Jennifer Benz, deputy director of The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, in a description of the poll. “You ask this kind of question during economic turmoil, during the pandemic and all the other things that are going on, maybe we don’t expect abortion to become a mainstream issue.”
Currently, abortion is the subject of a Supreme Court appeal in this case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organizationwhich concerns Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. The case could overturn the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on December 1, and a decision is expected next summer.
“The exponential increase in the percentage of people citing reproductive rights as a key issue suggests the issue is drawing respect among Democrats as the Supreme Court hears cases that could lead to dramatic restrictions on abortion access,” the Associated Press noted in its report list surveys.
Benz, who called the numbers “raw,” said studies conducted in the 1980s and 1990s “consistently found that anti-abortion opponents had greater attitudinal strength and considered the issue important to them personally more than pro-choice people.” “.
The AP noted that many Americans believe that abortion should not be possible after the first trimester of pregnancy or that women should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.
The AP-NORC poll of 1,089 adults was conducted Dec. 2-7 using a sample drawn from NORC’s AmeriSpeak probability-based panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
