Poll: Abortion on Demand Unpopular with Most Americans

Americans of varying political backgrounds are finding common ground in the abortion debate even though “much of the coverage on the issue of abortion in the year since the Dobbs decision portrays America as deeply divided,” a poll found.

“Supermajorities” (70 percent or above) of Americans agree on several abortion-related issues: three-fourths of all voters are opposed to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, 70 percent support parental notification laws, and 76 percent support pregnancy resource centers that do not perform abortions but instead offer support to women during their pregnancies and after their babies are born, according to the survey. 

The survey was conducted by The Tarrance Group on behalf of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America with 1,000 U.S. voters from June 6-9, 2023. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage at the 95 percent confidence level. 

The poll results are contrary to the push by pro-abortion left-wing activists, Democrats, and corporate media figures who call pregnancy centers “fake clinics,” push for abortion on demand, and lobby to remove parental notification laws.

“There is middle-ground on the issue of abortion not being captured in the traditional life/choice dichotomy. That broad middle ground includes support for limits on later abortions when the child can feel pain, with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape and incest, while opposing abortion up until the moment of birth. That middle ground also protects parents’ rights, while providing support for mothers and families during pregnancy and after birth,” pollsters B.J. Martino and Alexi Donovan wrote in the survey memo. 

The survey gave respondents a range of options and asked them to best describe their abortion position. On one test, 77 percent say they agree with at least some limits by fifteen weeks of pregnancy when it is possible for unborn babies to feel pain. 

Under the first test, 26 percent say abortion should be prohibited with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, and incest. Twenty percent believe abortion should be limited after a heartbeat is detected at six weeks with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, and incest. Thirty-one percent say abortion should be “prohibited after a baby can feel pain at 15 weeks with exceptions for life of the mother, rape, and incest.” Fifteen percent believe abortion should be “allowed without any restriction,” the poll found.

The second test provided differently worded options and still found that 76 percent of voters agreed with some limits on abortion. Under that test, 27 percent say abortion should be generally prohibited, 35 percent favor abortion until the second trimester, 14 percent say it should be legal until the third trimester, and 14 percent say it should be legal throughout pregnancy.

The survey found that, when given a choice between a 15-week limit with exceptions or abortion on demand, 59 percent of voters support limited abortions at 15 weeks with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, and incest, while 18 percent say abortion should be “legal without any limitations, up to the moment of birth.”

“There is NO partisan difference in the viewpoint that abortion should be limited here, with 59 percent of Republicans and Democrats alike choosing that option, along with 56 percent of independents. Even among those voters who self-identify as pro-choice, 53 percent support prohibiting abortions after a baby can feel pain at 15 weeks,” the survey report states. 

When asked about applying these principles to legislative action, 59 percent say they support passing legislation that would limit abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with exceptions, while allowing states to pass more protective laws. 

“There is no gender gap in support, and support includes 53 percent of self-described prochoice voters, 51 percent of voters who identify as Democrats, and 52 percent of independents,” the survey found. 

Respondents were also asked if they would support federal legislation limiting abortions at 15 weeks. Fifty-three percent of respondents say they would support such a national measure. Conversely, 64 percent say they oppose passing legislation that would mandate allowing abortion on demand up to the moment of birth and without any limits across all 50 states.

“Opposition reaches 82 percent among Republicans, but includes a 62 percent majority of independents, and even 50 percent of Democratic voters,” according to the survey report. 

Regarding parental notification, the survey found that there is majority support, regardless of party, for a requirement to notify parents when a minor child seeks to have an abortion. Eighty-nine percent of GOP voters, 54 percent of Democrats, and 65 percent of independents support parental notification.

Those percentages are similar to a survey from Pew Research Center conducted last year, which found that 70 percent of Americans support parental notification for minors seeking abortions, including 57 percent of Democrats. The percentages also align with reports that Democrats are divided when it comes to repealing parental notification laws for abortions. 

The survey additionally found broad support, “regardless of partisanship,” for pregnancy resource centers that provide support during pregnancy but do not perform abortions. Eighty-seven percent of Republicans, 68 percent of Democrats, and 70 percent of independents say they support such centers, as do 76 percent of men and 77 percent of women, the survey found. 

A majority of voters (52 percent) also support permanently prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortion, with exceptions for the life of the mother, rape, and incest, the survey found.

“When it comes to protecting life and supporting women, Americans agree far more than the media will report. We believe the science that shows babies in the womb have a beating heart at six weeks, can suck their thumb as early as 10 weeks and feel pain at least by 15 weeks,” SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “We believe parents have a right to know if their daughters are considering abortion. And we believe women deserve all the compassion, support and resources the pro-life safety net provides to genuinely empower them – not to be sold an abortion and sent off to figure out how to cope on their own.”

“A year after Dobbs, nearly half the country has laws reflecting the will of the people. Americans strongly agree Congress also has a role to play in protecting babies from brutal late-term abortions when they can feel pain,” Dannenfelser continued. “We reject the Democrats’ radical agenda of tax-funded abortion on demand until birth. Life is winning across America and that’s worth celebrating.”

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The survey comes after Gallup News released a poll last week, finding that most Americans do not support second and third-trimester abortions.

That survey found that 37 percent of Americans think abortion should be legal in the second trimester of pregnancy, and 22 percent believe it should be legal in the third trimester. However, the survey found that 69 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal within the first three months of pregnancy, which is the highest percentage since Gallup began tracking the trend.