A new poll shows that more than half of American voters say abortion should be illegal, at least in some contexts, and would support legislation that protects the unborn from six or 15 weeks of gestation.
A new national Fox News poll completed the day before the leak of a Supreme Court document indicating that Roe v. Wade would be overturned shows that people favor an anti-abortion position on a 54% to 44% margin.
Amid renewed debate on whether the legality of abortion should be managed at the federal or state level, the poll shows that the public’s concern about abortion policy has grown from 62% in September to 69% currently. Of those who expressed extreme concern, 60% say Roe v. Wade should be upheld.
“Americans’ opinions on abortion are more nuanced than is often assumed,” Republican pollster Daron Shaw said. “Sixty percent think abortion should be legal, but with restrictions. The question is where to draw the line.”
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Democratic pollster Chris Anderson said there are too many variables to predict how the poll’s results might affect the midterm elections.
“If Roe v. Wade is overturned, it will be a hand grenade in the middle of an already chaotic political environment,” Anderson said. “There are so many potential repercussions that predictions about how this will play out in the midterms are premature.”
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The Fox News poll was conducted from April 28 to May 1 in conjunction with Beacon Research, the Democratic pollster company, and Shaw & Company Research, the Republican pollster company.
The poll, which held a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points, surveyed 1,003 registered voters via phone calls.
