Majority of Americans want a federal law protecting abortion, new poll shows

A majority of Americans believe there should be a federal law protecting abortion rights, a new CBS poll found, with most women of reproductive age worried overturning Roe v. Wade could lead to more restrictions on birth control.

The CBS poll found that 64% want the Supreme Court to keep Roe v. Wade the law of the land while 36% want it overturned. 

Nearly as many Americans – 58% – also want Congress to pass a federal law codify a women’s right to an abortion. 

And asked to describe their feelings about having Roe v. Wade overturned, two-thirds of Americans said they were ‘discouraged,’ ‘angry,’ and ‘scared.’

Abortion has returned to the forefront of the political debate after Politico published a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the case that made abortion legal in America.

Abortion-rights protesters hold a demonstration outside of the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday as protesters gathered across the nation to show their support for Roe v. Wade

Supporters rallied in cities around the United States on Saturday and staked out the Washington D.C. houses of Supreme Court justices this weekend to protest the issue.

Women, in particular, are concerned, the CBS poll found. A majority of women under the age of 50 – 66% – thought overturning Roe V. Wade will lead to more restrictions on the use of birth control and other family planning materials. 

Among the Americans who want to keep abortion as law of the land, 84% said overturning the case would move the country in the wrong direction while 82% said it would be a danger for women. 

The Senate will vote on legislation to codify abortion rights into law on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Sunday.

‘Every American will see how every senator stands,’ Schumer said during a news conference in New York. Republicans ‘can’t duck it anymore. Republicans have tried to duck it.’

‘Choice should not be up to a handful of right-wing justices. Choice should not be up to a handful of right-wing politicians. It’s a woman’s right. Plain and simple,’ he said.

But Schumer’s move will likely fail.

Democrats do not appear to have the votes to overcome a filibuster on the matter. It takes 60 votes to advance legislation in the Senate, which is split 50-50 among the two parties. Even if Democrats managed to remove that requirement, moderate Democratic Senator Joe Manchin already rejected in February a previous version of an abortion protection bill. 

Republicans argue the issue should be up to the states, which is where it would end up if the draft Supreme Court decision is adopted by the high court.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell went one step further, suggested that a federal abortion ban is ‘possible’ if the Supreme Court rules to overturn Roe v. Wade and Republicans retake a majority in the November midterm elections.

‘If the leaked opinion became the final opinion, legislative bodies – not only at the state level but at the federal level – certainly could legislate in that area,’ the Kentucky senator told USA Today on Thursday.

‘And if this were the final decision, that was the point that it should be resolved one way or another in the legislative process. So yeah, it’s possible.’

Protesters also showed up outside the D.C. suburb homes of conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh (pictured on Saturday) and Chief Justice John Roberts

Abortion rights opponents showed up outside the home of conservative Justice Samuel Alito in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday to show support for his draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade

Far-left Antifa protesters threw at least one Molotov cocktail into the offices of a pro-life group in Madison, Wisconsin over the weekend – discovered on Mothers’ Day Sunday

Conservative Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion written in February and published by Politico last week reveals that the court has voted to strike down the landmark 1973 ruling Rove v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States.

The official opinion won’t be released until near the end of the court’s term – in late June or early July – and could be changed until then.

Five of the six conservative justices are said to support the opinion with only Chief Justice John Roberts dissenting with the three liberals on the bench. Roberts does, however, support a ban on abortion at the 15-week point of a pregnancy.

President Joe Biden, in a statement issued hours after the leak, said women have a ‘fundamental’ right to an abortion and called on American voters to ‘elect pro-choice officials this November.’

He also pledged the White House would be ‘ready when any ruling is issued.’ 

Meanwhile, abortion right protests have sprung up around the country.

Demonstrators arrived outside the homes of Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday – just days after a massive, un-scalable fence was erected around the Supreme Court Building for the safety of staff.

Protesters also appeared outside churches over the weekend and violence ensued at the office of pro-life groups.

Antifa vandals hurled at least one Molotov cocktail into offices of Wisconsin Family Action in Madison, an anti-abortion group in the state. The group also scrawled a chilling message on the wall that read, ‘If abortions aren’t safe you aren’t either,’ as well as the Antifa Symbol – a capital ‘A’ inside a circle – and the number 1312, which is a code that stands for ACAB, meaning ‘All Cps are Bastards.’

The White House finally condemned the protests on Monday after coming under fire from Republicans for remaining silent on the issue.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden condemned the protests.

‘[President Joe Biden] strongly believes in the Constitutional right to protest,’ she tweeted.

‘But that should never include violence, threats, or vandalism,’ Psaki continued in her tweet. ‘Judges perform an incredibly important function in our society, and they must be able to do their jobs without concern for their personal safety.’