Poll: Plurality Say Abortion Standards Best Determined by States

A plurality of voters believe abortion standards are best determine by state legislatures, a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll released this week found.

According to the survey, just eight percent identify abortion “rights” as their greatest concern, and ten percent identify it as their second greatest concern. 

While voters are split on the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade — 51 percent oppose and 49 percent support — a plurality of respondents, 42 percent, agree that it is better for abortion standards to be determined by state legislatures. Thirty percent said it is best determined by a congressional vote, and 28 percent said it should be determined by Supreme Court judges. 

Notably, a plurality, 45 percent, believe abortion laws will remain the same in their state following the Supreme Court’s decision. 

The survey was taken September 7-8 2022, among 1,854 registered voters and comes as Republicans in the House and Senate present legislation to address the radical left’s demands to codify Roe v. Wade.

Republicans in the House —  Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Andy Harris (R-MD) and Kat Cammack (R-FL) — this week introduced a pro-life measure protecting babies from late-term abortions. The bill itself cites the science behind basic medical procedures conducted on children who are 15 weeks old in the womb, noting that anesthesia is used, as they can feel pain at that point.

“In considering the use of anesthesia for invasive medical procedures performed on the fetus, evidence has concluded that from as early as 12 weeks and certainly by 15 weeks gestational age on ward, the fetus is extremely sensitive to painful stimuli, making it necessary to apply adequate analgesia and anesthesia to prevent fetal suffering,” the bill reads in part, noting that there is “substantial medical evidence that an unborn child is capable of experiencing pain at least by 15 weeks gestational age, if not earlier.”

“Abortion carries significant physical and psychological risks to the pregnant woman, and these physical and psychological risks increase with gestational age,” the bill continues, detailing the gruesome abortion procedures typically done at that point, “which involve the use of surgical instruments to crush and tear the unborn child apart before removing the pieces of the dead child from the womb.”

Sen Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the same measure for the Senate side Tuesday.

“You provide anesthesia because the science tells us that the 15-week period the nerve endings of the baby are pretty well developed, and the child feels pain,” Graham said, later adding, “And we should be talking about legislation for the nation as a whole.”

“It would put us in line with the science in the civilized world,” the senator added.