The pro-choice crowds have the microphones and the current administration, but Gallop’s annual Value and Belief poll proves once again the majority of Americans are pro-life.
Gallup asked voters if they think abortion should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances. 52% opted for something in between, which has been a consistent number since Gallup started this poll in 1975. 26% said legal under any circumstances and 20% said illegal in all circumstances.
Gallup then took the 52% middle position and attempted to receive a more specific position. 13% said abortion should be legal under most circumstances and 38% said only a few circumstances. That pushes the number to 58% Americans oppose all or most abortions.
The poll was conducted after the majority of the news outlets were forced to cover the Kermit Gosnell trial and report the murders of numerous babies born alive after botched abortions. Gallup found the trial probably had little effect on their numbers because the majority of Americans are not paying attention.
This validates the FOX News poll from April 25. 68% of their voters said they were unfamiliar with the case. Gallup found 7% voters followed the case very closely, 18% followed somewhat closely, 20% followed “not too closely” and 54% said not at all. This makes the Gosnell trial the least followed story Gallup ever polled.
Gallup tried not to blame the media coverage, but 45% of respondents said the media have not done enough on it. 20% said the media covered it too much and 27% said there was just enough coverage.
The poll forced Gallup to update Americans’ self-identification cards on the issue. 48% of Americans identify as pro-life and 45% identify as pro-choice.
Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List contacted LifeNews about the poll:
“These numbers once again make it clear that Americans overwhelmingly oppose late-term abortions,” said Dannenfelser. “The law should follow this instinctive resistance to such a dehumanizing and degrading practice. As the country’s attention is turned to this issue, we hope to see Congress address the multi-state breakdown of oversight in the abortion industry as well as the barbarism of abortions performed on children capable of feeling pain and surviving outside the womb.”
At the end of the poll Gallup confirms Americans do oppose late-term abortions and the 1997 attempt to ban all late-term abortions probably moved the country to be more pro-life.