Posted on 06/06/2024 3:07:44 PM PDT by Morgana
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from May 7-14 asked 3,934 Americans numerous questions, including questions regarding their views about abortion. In its findings, Reuters reported that most respondents believe abortion should be legal in “all or most cases” (57%). But what, exactly, does the open and broad “all or most cases” phrase mean? It seems perhaps even poll respondents don’t know, because follow-up questions stunningly revealed that even when people state that they support abortion in most cases, they actually support limited access to abortion.
“Most cases”?
The poll first asked respondents broad questions regarding abortion before asking them more specifically about their feelings on abortion restrictions by gestational weeks or in certain circumstances. The results showed that seven percent (7%) of respondents believe abortion should be “illegal in all cases,” and 24% believe abortion should be “illegal in most cases.” It also stated that 25% believe abortion should be “legal in all cases” and 32% believe abortion should be “legal in most cases.” Reuters determined that this meant 57% of all respondents believe abortion should be legal in “all or most” cases.
But when more specific questions about gestational age and “cases” (or circumstances) were asked, the results show a much different picture of what Americans think about abortion.
When respondents were asked more specifically about abortion at certain gestational ages or in cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother, the results show a society that favors restricting the killing of preborn children — far more than many politicians or abortion industry operatives would care to admit.
The distinction is in the details
The poll asked a follow-up question to certain respondents, stating, “You mentioned earlier that you believe abortion should be legal at least some of the time. Would you support or oppose a national law that would allow abortion to happen….?” with four differing limits of “up to six weeks of pregnancy?” “up to 15 weeks of pregnancy?” “up to viability (24-28 weeks)?” and “only in cases to save the life of the mother, rape or incest?”
There had been no previous question asking about abortion being “legal at least some of the time” in this survey, but 32% (one-third) did respond that abortion “should be legal in most cases.” Assuming those are the respondents to whom the follow-up questions were asked, the responses about when abortion should be legal showed that most of that one-third want significant restrictions on abortion.
While Reuters claims 57% of respondents feel abortion should be “legal in all or most cases,” as gestational age increases, more Americans become uncomfortable with legalized killing of preborn human beings.
When asked, “Would you support or oppose a national law that would allow abortion to happen up to six weeks of pregnancy,” 55% (of the presumed original 32%) said “yes, support” while 42% said “no, oppose.” While this seems like it may offer a confusing result, the question that followed may offer us greater understanding.
When then asked whether they would support or oppose “a national law that would allow abortion to happen up to 15 weeks of pregnancy,” 42% of the one-third of respondents said “yes, support” and 55% said “no, oppose.” The answers to these two questions coupled together seem to indicate the possibility that over half of the “in most cases” crowd is fine with allowing abortion up to six weeks, but not up to 15 weeks.
When asked about support or opposition to a national law allowing abortion through “viability,” the poll defined viability as 24-28 weeks despite the fact that babies born as young as 21 weeks have survived. Just 27% of the original third of respondents who said abortion should be “legal in most cases” indicated support for a law allowing abortion up until 24 weeks, while 71% opposed it.
As gestional age increases, opposition to abortion also appears to increase.
Arguably the most interesting response, however, was the one that had to do with actual “cases.” Respondents who said abortion should be legal at least some of the time were asked whether or not they would support a national law allowing abortion “only in cases to save the life of the mother, rape or incest.” An astounding 74% said “yes” they would support a law allowing abortion only to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest, while 24% said no, they wouldn’t support such a law.
This result indicates that for those who said they support abortion in at least some cases, the majority — nearly three-quarters of them — said they would support a law in which abortion was only legal in cases involving a risk to the mother’s life or in cases of rape or incest.
So again, the question remains: What does “most cases” even mean? Do many people mistakenly believe that “most” abortions take place for reasons of rape, incest, or risk to the mother’s life?
Other polling
Though somewhat puzzling, these Reuters poll responses are not outliers; they are in line with other abortion-related polling. A 2023 Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll revealed that though 61% of respondents considered themselves to be “pro-choice,” 69% of all respondents wanted abortion to be significantly restricted. The survey revealed that 79% of Americans did not want abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy, as pro-abortion politicians are currently seeking. The poll also found that 69% of those polled wanted abortion restricted — allowing it only in the first three months of pregnancy (25%), only for rape/incest/life of mother (26%) only for life of the mother (10%) or never under any circumstance (8%).
An early 2024 poll released by the Knights of Columbus found that the majority of Americans support at least some level of protections for preborn children from abortion. Of the 1,371 respondents, 58% claimed to be “pro-choice,” yet 58% of respondents also said abortion should only be allowed within the first three months of pregnancy (18%), only in cases of rape/incest/life of mother (22%), only for life of the mother (9%), or never allowed (9%).
They’re quite obviously not as “pro-choice” as they profess to be...
Most women want the ability to have an abortion if they so choose, or at least that's how they vote on this single issue. But it also seems like these same women can't imagine having a late-term abortion "just because", or even after an amniocentesis that indicates a healthy fetus (usually at around four months).
Bill Clinton got this right
They just don’t vote.
They just don’t vote.
Nothing surprising and DEFINITELY something that the Republicans can use against the Democrats. For example, in Western Europe, which is almost as ‘woke’ as US Leftists (meaning the Democrat Party), they STILL have varying degrees of limits on abortion, with some being quite strict.
But in the US, our side should not be surprised - after all the concept of killing a baby one day BEFORE birth is not all that different from killing a baby one day AFTER birth, but the way a woman is treated is night and day, with one case making the babe (or former babe) a FEMINIST ICON, while the other case makes her a MURDERER...and those reactions are often found in the same person.
So it shouldn’t be surprising that even pro-abortion people, generally, want some type of ‘transition’ between ending an unwanted pregnancy and/or killing an inconvenient baby.
Hopefully hearts are changing.
The head of a Republican State committee told me they had done extensive polling on voter issues, including abortion.
He said abortion is the 18th most important issue for men but it is the No.1 issue for women under 40!
Women have been convinced that the right to live a life of hedonism without commitment is the road to happiness and that their freedom is defined by the right to kill their own child for convenience.
I believe it was Mae West who said that when women go bad, men follow. We are firmly on the road to cultural and demographic suicide.
The choice was made when the woman chose to engage in an act that could result in pregnancy without considering the consequences. Of course, to leftists, the only permitted choice is the choice to abort.
I’ve said all along that America is basically a morally sound nation and the majority does not support infanticide. Republicans need to make it clear they do not buy the left’s lies and will not compromise on the issue of pre-born life. If we wobble on this issue we will lose in November.
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