Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults do not want the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 abortion decision, according to a new poll released Thursday.
The Gallup poll found there is strong support for upholding Roe v. Wade, which has emerged as a flashpoint in the fight over the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
The survey from Gallup found that just 28 percent of adults polled want Roe v. Wade to be overturned.
Support for the decision has increased over the last six years. In 2012, 53 percent of Americans wanted Roe v. Wade to stand, while 29 percent wanted the Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 decision.
Opinions about the future of Roe v. Wade are split along party lines. The poll said 51 percent of Republicans and 13 percent of Democrats want to see the decision reversed. But 81 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of Republicans want to see Roe v. Wade to stand.
Opponents of Kavanaugh have raised the future of Roe v. Wade as part of their efforts to derail his confirmation. They warn that a Supreme Court with five conservative justices would be more likely to overturn the landmark decision.
Groups protesting Kavanaugh’s nomination point to comments President Trump made on the campaign trail as evidence he has nominated justices who disapprove of Roe v. Wade. Trump said before nominating Kavanaugh, though, that he would not ask his Supreme Court candidates about the 1973 ruling.
The Gallup poll of 1,291 adults was taken from July 2 to July 8. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
