Most Americans Want to Put Post-Roe Abortion Rights to a Vote

Most Americans Want to Put Post-Roe Abortion Rights to a Vote

A new poll shows that seven in ten Americans would like to have the opportunity to decide state-level abortion rights by ballot measure.

 

Roughly a month and a half after the Supreme Court’s controversial decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that established the constitutional right to abortion, a new poll released by Ipsos-USA Today shows that seven in ten Americans would like to have the opportunity to decide state-level abortion rights by ballot measure.

The survey, conducted from August 5 to 8 with 1,018 adults participating, further revealed that if they had the chance to vote, they would oppose efforts to prohibit the procedure by nearly two to one.

 

According to USA Today, the poll showed that respondents would have passed a ballot measure to legalize abortion by a vote of 54 percent to 28 percent.

“Democrats support legal abortion in their state by 7-1 (76%-10%) and independents by 2-1 (52%-27%),” the report continued. “Among Republicans, 34% would support abortion rights and 54% would oppose them, a worrisome fissure for the party that has long been identified with the anti-abortion movement.”

Broken down by party, 73 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of Republicans support the use of a state ballot measure, while 67 percent of independents also backed such an effort. More than 40 percent of Democrats say they “strongly support” putting abortion on the ballot.

“With abortion no longer a constitutional right, Americans are looking to the voting booth to have their voice heard on the issue,” Ipsos president Cliff Young told USA Today.

“However, the divisions that exist across the states could bring legal, medical and lifelong consequences for many parts of the country,” he added.

Other recent polls are showing increasing levels of frustration among Americans on the highly contentious abortion issue.

A poll of more than a thousand adults conducted by the Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has indicated that 60 percent of Americans want Congress to pass a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide. Additionally, the survey revealed that 53 percent of respondents say they disapprove of the court’s decision, while 30 percent say they approve.

“Overwhelming majorities also think their state should generally allow abortion in specific cases, including if the health of the pregnant person is endangered or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest,” the Associated Press wrote. “Few think abortion should always be illegal, and most Americans support their state generally allowing abortion six weeks into the pregnancy.”

Furthermore, a separate poll released by Morning Consult/Politico showed that a majority of Americans strongly disapprove of their states prohibiting all abortions with no exceptions. A little over 60 percent of respondents strongly oppose their states prohibiting all abortions with no exceptions and 13 percent somewhat oppose a no exception ban. In contrast, such a ban was only strongly supported by 9 percent and somewhat supported by 8 percent.

 

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Washington state-based Finance and Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek, and Arirang TV. Follow or contact him on LinkedIn.

Image: Reuters.