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Birth Control A Winning Issue for Dems, Poll Shows (Can you believe this Quinnipiac poll?)
National Journal ^ | 02/23/2012 | Maggie Fox

Posted on 02/23/2012 12:33:16 PM PST by SeekAndFind

More than half of American voters – 54 percent -- approve of President Obama’s compromise that would have insurance companies pay for birth control for employees of religious-affiliated institutions, according to the latest Quinnipiac University national poll, released on Thursday. Just 38 percent said they disapproved, the telephone poll of 2,605 registered voters found. The survey, conducted last week at the height of the controversy over the new policy, suggests that Democrats have the upper hand in defining the issue as one of women’s health, as opposed to Republican efforts to frame it as religious freedom.

More than half of men, 52 percent, approved of the administration’s compromise, while women approved by 56 percent to 34 percent. White Protestants split 46 to 46 percent while 48 percent of white Catholics disapproved. Seventy five percent of Democrats like the plan, 56 percent of self-identified Independents said they did, while Republicans disapproved by 63 to 32 percent.

Voters said by a margin of 71 percent to 24 percent that health insurance plans should cover birth control, but they split almost evenly, 47 percent to 48 percent, on whether the government should make private employers provide insurance that covers free birth control. And more than half of voters, 55 percent, say abortion should be legal.

On a related issue, voters also side with the Democrats and Planned Parenthood. Republican lawmakers on the state and federal level have been trying to take funding away from the group because it provides abortion and abortion advice along with many other health care services. But the Quinnipiac survey found 55 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Planned Parenthood and just 22 percent said they didn’t. Sixty percent oppose cutting federal funding to the group and this number rose to more than 80 percent if voters were asked if they would support the cut if they knew the money was going only for non-abortion health issues such as breast cancer screening.

In fact, this is the case – Planned Parenthood does not use federal money for abortion services.

On a separate issue, more voters than not say they hope the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn the 2010 health reform law. The survey found 50 percent of voters think the law should be overturned, while 39 percent say it should not. The court hears oral arguments on legal challenges to the law in March.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: birthcontrol; democrats; poll; quinnipiac
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1 posted on 02/23/2012 12:33:27 PM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

scary


2 posted on 02/23/2012 12:36:56 PM PST by GoCards (I am a Hobbit)
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To: SeekAndFind

The United States is imploding economically and militarily, and here people are prattling on about birth control. How embarrassing.


3 posted on 02/23/2012 12:37:54 PM PST by Utmost Certainty (Our Enemy, the State | Gingrich 2012)
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To: SeekAndFind

Figure 40% are up for a “freebie” on just about anything, plus 14% stupid enough to believe the sophistry that Churches will not actually be paying for this, and yeah, I can believe it.


4 posted on 02/23/2012 12:38:03 PM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: SeekAndFind

Personally, I don’t believe in much of these current polls. I think much of this is to receive a conclusion that they aim for as Dick Morris said he before used the media with Clinton to get presumptions out there. I know people who are not on the net. only get their news from ABC NBC etc.


5 posted on 02/23/2012 12:39:29 PM PST by Christie at the beach (I like Newt and would love to see political dead bodies on the floor.)
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To: Utmost Certainty

[i]The United States is imploding economically and militarily, and here people are prattling on about birth control. How embarrassing.[/i]

Amen, the American people are too damn stupid to see this obvious red herring put out by the democrats. What a sickening disgrace. This country is going to get what it deserves when it implodes. My only hope is enough liberals get the reckoning they deserve in the process.


6 posted on 02/23/2012 12:40:50 PM PST by bigdirty
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To: SeekAndFind
I don't find it hard to believe because the WH does polls before almost every policy move.

They would not have made the announcement if they knew it was unpopular.

7 posted on 02/23/2012 12:49:13 PM PST by what's up
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To: SeekAndFind
Yes, but what poll results like this don't tell you is how passionate people are about there positions. You can often take polls like this on guns and find similar margins supporting gun control. However, the pro-gun minority actually bases their votes on the issue, while the anti-gun majority doesn't. Democrats learned that the hard way in 1994 when they thought polls showing a majority supported gun control meant they had nothing to worry about. Then the pro-gun folks came out in droves against them, while the anti-gun folks voted according to their normal voting patterns.

My gut feeling is that it's the same with this birth control issue. The "religious rights" folks may very well be in the minority, but they are much more passionate about the issue than the other side and will be willing to beat a path to the ballot box to vote on this issue alone.

8 posted on 02/23/2012 12:49:57 PM PST by apillar
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To: bigdirty
---i]The United States is imploding economically and militarily, and here people are prattling on about birth control. How embarrassing.[/i] Amen, the American people are too damn stupid to see this obvious red herring put out by the democrats. What a sickening disgrace. This country is going to get what it deserves when it implodes. My only hope is enough liberals get the reckoning they deserve in the process.--

--and the Republicunce candidates have continued to trip over each other while (when not stabbing each other in the back) falling for the Demo's trap---

9 posted on 02/23/2012 12:53:11 PM PST by rellimpank (--don't believe anything the media or government says about firearms or explosives--)
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To: SeekAndFind

If this is what America cares about, then we deserve the coming judgement.


10 posted on 02/23/2012 12:54:26 PM PST by Dogbert41 ("...or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. " -Jesus)
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To: apillar
On a separate issue, more voters than not say they hope the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn the 2010 health reform law. The survey found 50 percent of voters think the law should be overturned, while 39 percent say it should not.

Which just goes to show that many American people are idiots. According to this poll, American's support Obama's directive to force insurance companies to provide birth control. But they want the entire Obamacare law struck down. Which would also take away Obama's ability to, you guessed it, force insurance companies to provide birth control. Does that make any sense?

11 posted on 02/23/2012 12:54:37 PM PST by apillar
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To: Christie at the beach

Polls are essily skewed by the test sample that is selected. As the left gets more and more desperate, expect more games being played with polls. If they’ll lie and distort the news for Obama, they’ll certainly do it with statistics if they can.


12 posted on 02/23/2012 12:56:16 PM PST by Spok (Who is Sam Zemurray?)
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To: SeekAndFind

Dont’ believe this poll. There was another out earlier with the opposite results. An honest poll would make it clear institutions are being forced to violate their conscience and that it includes abortifacients, too. Anything else is a push poll for Obama.


13 posted on 02/23/2012 12:57:19 PM PST by WashingtonSource
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To: SeekAndFind

Hey, we didn’t pick this fight. Obama manufactured it to use as a campaign issue. Slick MF


14 posted on 02/23/2012 12:58:53 PM PST by jersey117 (The Stepford Media should be sued for malpractice)
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To: SeekAndFind

Fornication and pornography are very important to a majority of voters.

Of course I believe it.


15 posted on 02/23/2012 1:01:05 PM PST by Jim Noble ("The Germans: At your feet, or at your throat" - Winston Churchill)
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To: SeekAndFind

As with any poll it depends how the question is framed. That is how you get the same group of people to answer 2 opposite ways on the same issue.
The first problem is there was no “compromise” The Church
s stand is on principle. On principle there can be no compromise.


16 posted on 02/23/2012 1:15:49 PM PST by SECURE AMERICA (Where can I sign up for the New American Revolution and the Crusades 2012?)
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To: Christie at the beach
The left will use this tactic, I should add. They began it last night right after the debate. I heard on the radio, a democrat in Fla., already saying the GOP was anti-women (Yes, they'll use it) and unfortunately, some voters will buy it since they are ill-informed or have a weakness in trusting the opposite party. I do the email Ras. polling and others, they make the questions lead to a direction they so desire many times. I had to stop doing one poll questioning since they were in the tank for liberalism (No)
17 posted on 02/23/2012 1:20:33 PM PST by Christie at the beach (I like Newt and would love to see political dead bodies on the floor.)
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To: SECURE AMERICA

Ask them if they would support giving money to Al Queda if they knew it was only going to go to feed starving children in Africa.


18 posted on 02/23/2012 1:24:19 PM PST by JediJones (Watch "Gingrich to Michigan: Change or Die" on YouTube. Best Speech Ever!)
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To: SeekAndFind
LOL. 90% of voters have no idea what the issue is about or what the "compromise" actually was. Issues like this can be skewed so easily to get the desired result. What was the poll question:

"Do you support President Obama's compromise to protect conscience rights while making free birth control available to all?"

I'll bet it was something along those lines. Quinnipiac is pretty biased in my experience. They are a push-polling outfit that tries to drive the narrative rather than measure opinion.
19 posted on 02/23/2012 1:24:29 PM PST by Antoninus (Mitt Romney -- attempting to execute a hostile take-over of the Republican Party.)
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To: what's up

“Insurance Companies are Big, Grrrrreeedy Eeeeeevil Corporations. The President made them give us something for free. Hooray!”

The thought process was likely just that.


20 posted on 02/23/2012 1:27:13 PM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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