Americans want restrictions on abortion.
As I sit in the Knights of Columbus soon-to-open to about 18,000 pilgrims Mercy Centre in Krakow for World Youth Day, from their headquarters in New Haven, Conn., comes release of a new Marist poll they’ve commissioned on the question. It comes, of course, in the wake of the Supreme Court striking down the Texas abortion law that sought to implement exactly that – the will of the people, as they say.
“The majority of Americans in favor of abortion restrictions has been consistently around 8 in 10 for the better part of a decade,” said Barbara Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll, observes in the Knights official release. “Though self-identification as pro-life or pro-choice can vary substantially from year to year, the support for restrictions is quite stable.”
The Marist polling the Knights have been commissioning over the past years show that the United States isn’t as divided on the issue as media and politics and even your family and social scene and workplace conversations might suggest.
From their press release today:
Though 51 percent of Americans say they are pro-choice, about 8 in 10 Americans support substantial restrictions on abortion (78 percent), and would limit it to, at most, the first three months of pregnancy. This number includes 62 percent of those who identify as pro-choice, 85 percent of African Americans and 84 percent of Latinos.
Taxpayer funding for abortion is opposed by 62 percent of Americans. This includes 65 percent of African Americans, 61 percent of Latinos, and 45 percent of those who say they are pro-choice, as well as 84 percent of Republicans, 61 percent of Independents and 44 percent of Democrats.
Concerning the recent Supreme Court decision, Nearly 8 in 10 Americans (78 percent) want abortion clinics to be held to the same standards as other outpatient surgery centers. This includes 77 percent of African Americans and 82 percent of Latinos, as well as 77 percent of women, and 84 percent of millennials. About three quarters of those who identify as pro-choice (74 percent) agree, as do strong majorities regardless of party affiliation.
In addition, 70 percent of Americans want doctors who perform abortions to be required to have hospital admitting privileges. This includes 71 percent of women, 77 percent of millennials, and 78 percent of Latinos, Pro-life and pro-choice adherents are also equally likely to support such a requirement at a rate of 7 in 10 for each group (71 percent).
And by almost 20 points, a majority of Americans (56 percent to 37 percent) do not believe that healthcare providers should be forced to perform abortions against their conscience or religious beliefs. This includes 6 in 10 Latinos (61 percent) and 4 in 10 who identify as pro-choice (41 percent).
The survey of 1,009 adults was conducted July 5-12, 2016, by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the continental United States were interviewed on either landline or mobile phones in English using live interviewers. Results for adults are statistically significant within ±3.1 percentage points. The error margin increases for cross-tabulations.
In election considerations, many a person insists that pro-lifers have to vote for Donald Trump because of the Supreme Court. I get the argument. But it’s also true that a lot of damage has already been done — and will continue to settle in and poison all aspects of society regardless of which of these candidates win. Trying something new and creative like considering that most Americans are not at each others’ throats on all of these hot-button issues and that things that most divide us could actually be the common ground for the renewal of civil society — and civilization – is a long time in coming worth a try. (Something Carl Anderson addressed some years ago in his Beyond a House Divided.)
Knights of Columbus Marist Abortion Restriction Polling