New survey: Americans support fewer and safer abortions

WASHINGTON—A new national survey released this morning shows most Americans support restrictions on abortion, opening the door for future pro-life legislation.

“The American people have spoken clearly on their desire for abortion restrictions, less taxpayer funding of it, and common sense regulations on this industry to protect women’s health,” said Carl Anderson, CEO of the Knights of Columbus. “Our courts, politicians, candidates, and parties should heed this consensus.”

Knights of Columbus sponsored the survey conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. Marist interviewed more than 1,000 registered voters about specific abortion policies after last month’s landmark Supreme Court decision. The survey found 78 percent of Americans want abortion centers to have the same standards as other outpatient surgery centers, and 70 percent think abortionists should have hospital admitting privileges. In a 5-3 decision in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the Supreme Court struck down both of these safety standards adopted by Texas lawmakers.

Pro-life advocates say today’s survey results show broad support for future protections for both women and the unborn.

Most pro-life protections get passed at the local and state level, with dozens of states choosing to ban abortions after 20 weeks—when babies begin to feel pain.

But support for passing federal protections remains.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. House of Representatives advanced bipartisan legislation promoting freedom of conscience by protecting pro-life employers and healthcare workers from being complicit in the practice of abortion.

The Marist survey found 56 percent of Americans agree that healthcare workers should not perform an abortion if it violates their conscience. This includes 41 percent of Americans who identify as pro-choice.

“Surveys like this show that we can’t get too bogged down in labels,” said Mallory Quigley, a spokeswoman for the Susan B. Anthony List. “It shows individual feelings about individual policies matter.”

Quigley told me Americans may disagree on when life begins, but there is middle ground for common sense protections such as limiting late-term abortions, having high safety standards at abortion centers, and allowing healthcare workers to opt out of performing procedures that violate their beliefs.

In his dissent of the Whole Women’s Health verdict, Justice Clarence Thomas predicted his colleagues’ decision to throw out common sense protections will mystify courts for years to come: “If our recent cases illustrate anything, it is how easily the court tinkers with levels of scrutiny to achieve its desired result.”

The Texas legislature passed its abortion laws after the murder trial of Pennsylvania abortionist Kermit Gosnell exposed his facility’s horror stories. A Philadelphia jury convicted Gosnell of first-degree murder for killing three babies born alive after failed abortions. Texas lawmakers wanted to make sure nothing like that happened in their state.

The Supreme Court agreed Gosnell did wrong but the majority said establishing new safety precautions caused an undue burden for women.

Today’s survey results show Americans disagree and want fewer and safer abortions.

Nearly 8 in 10 support limiting abortion to, at most, the first three months of pregnancy. That includes 62 percent of people self-described as “pro-choice.”

And while 51 percent of Americans identify as “pro-choice,” most do not believe abortions should be on-demand or taxpayer funded. Only 22 percent of “pro-choice” Americans support access to abortion at any point during pregnancy. And only 15 percent of abortion-backers said they strongly support taxpayer funded operations.

Barbara Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll, said traditional pro-life or pro-choice markers don’t always tell the whole picture and when asked about specific policies, most Americans are on the same page.

“Though self-identification as pro-life or pro-choice can vary substantially from year to year, the support for restrictions is quite stable,” Carvalho said. “The majority of Americans in favor of abortion restrictions has been consistently around 8 in 10 for the better part of a decade.”