Two-thirds of Americans do not want the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the court’s landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion, according to a new survey.
A minority – 29 percent – do want the decision reversed. Opinions split significantly along party lines, with a narrow majority (53 percent) of Republicans in favor of the court putting an end to abortion, compared to just 16 percent of Democrats.
Women were also slightly more likely (68 percent) than men (65 percent) to oppose an end to abortion, according to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation conducted just before Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his plans to retire from the bench.
A majority of Americans – 67 percent – say they don’t want Roe v. Wade overturned. The landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision made abortion legal in this country. Data on those who refused to respond are not included
Kennedy’s departure, announced earlier this week, means Trump will be able to appoint the next Supreme Court Justice, and could lead to critical decisions in the nation’s highest court on the controversial abortion issue.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced on June 27, 2018 his plans to retire from the bench
Several states, including Louisiana, Mississippi and Iowa, have passed legislation restricting abortion over the past year – laws that could be challenged, ultimately reach the nation’s high court and give the justices a chance to set new legal precedent on abortion.
Iowa state Representative Greg Heartsill, a Republican, said he believes state lawmakers have found a different legal approach through their ‘heartbeat bill’ that could eventually overturn Roe v. Wade. The legislation prohibits doctors from performing an abortion if a fetal heartbeat can be detected – which can occur as early as six weeks.
‘What we are asserting in Iowa with this legislation is that if you have a heart beat you have a life, and if you have a life the government is bound by the constitution to protect that life and ensure equal protection under the law,’ Heartsill said.
The bill is facing legal challenges from the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, and a judge has issued a temporary injunction while the case plays out in state courts.
Abortion is an issue that could get some people to the voting booth this fall, with 42 percent of survey respondents saying they are more likely to vote for a pro-abortion candidate, compared to 29 percent who say their vote would be influenced in favor of an anti-abortion candidate. Another 25 percent said the issue would not sway them either way.
‘This is not a drill,’ said NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue, in a statement. ‘The lawsuits necessary to overturn Roe and criminalize abortion, as well as some forms of contraception, are already moving through the courts … These Senators, who have been able to hide from these extreme views, are going to be put under the spotlight in the upcoming campaign … and be forced to answer for their positions and their votes like never before.’
Overall, 42 percent of Americans said they would vote for a candidate who supports abortion access, while 29 percent said they would vote for a candidate who wants to restrict it and 26 percent said the issue made no difference when they were in the voting booth
More than a third of Americans said that current access to abortion is ‘about right’ in a new survey. Answers varied dramatically between political parties, with 51 percent of Republicans saying it was ‘too easy’ to get an abortion in this country. Data on those who refused to respond was not included
More than half (57 percent) of Americans oppose a new rule that the Trump administration has proposed that would prohibit federal funding for organizations that provide abortions – even when those organizations only use the money for reproductive health care and contraception for poor women. That’s compared to 38 percent who do support the proposal.
Opinions were divided on whether women currently have the appropriate level of access to abortion services: 35 percent said access is currently ‘about right,’ while 22 percent said it’s ‘too difficult’ to get an abortion and 27 percent said it’s ‘too easy.’