Typically when debating abortion, one of the fall-back positions of pro-choice advocates is not only the legal authority of Roe v. Wade but the support of the average American. A new poll shows that support has shifted toward support for restricting abortion.
In a Marist poll released this week, far more Americans support abortion restrictions than I would have predicted. About 75 percent say they would limit abortion to the first three months of pregnancy; six in ten of those said they were pro-choice. In fact, only 25 percent of pro-choice adults think abortion should be available “to a woman at any time.” While more Republicans wanted more restrictions on abortion than Democrats, still 60 percent of Democrats wanted some form of restrictions including 20 percent who said they only wanted it available in the case of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. The poll, which the Knights of Columbus sponsor, has been conducted at the beginning of every year since 2008.
Perhaps the only jarring, yet revealing, part of the poll from a conservative perspective on pro-life advocacy was that 23 percent of pro-choice adults polled said they believed life began at conception — yet they still identify as pro-choice. This dispels the notion that so many pro-choice advocates simply don’t believe the “fetus” is a “baby.” Similarly surprising was the finding that 25 percent of Republicans identified as pro-choice.
While the polling methods seem accurate, the numbers are so surprising I had a hard time believing them at first. The Left is so adamant that abortion is popular that sometimes it’s hard not to believe the constant rallying cry that abortion is safe and necessary (whether it appears on the Supreme Court steps, at the Women’s March, or on a Netflix show) such is the way it has permeated every part of our culture.
Granted the sample was small, but more than half of those polled labeled themselves pro-choice. Yet the numbers show unlimited abortion doesn’t have the overwhelming support of all Americans, such as it is laid out in popular culture. In reality, abortion restrictions are preferred and a second look at Roe v. Wade is desired, yet certain factions of the media coupled with progressive politicians and organizations hijacking our culture make it look like abortion is as normal and healthy as brushing your teeth.
These polls reflect more of what we’re seeing on the ground: Abortion rates have declined, more Planned Parenthood clinics are closed than ever before, and state legislatures nationwide have imposed more restrictions on abortions in lieu of Roe. On the precipice of the 46th annual March for Life taking place Friday, this is good news.
Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.
