Poll: Nearly Half of Democrats Say Abortion Should Be Legal Throughout Pregnancy

Nearly half of Democrats say they want abortion to be legal through all nine months of pregnancy in the U.S., a new YouGov poll found.

When asked,”When do you think abortion should be legal?” 48 percent of Democrats responded: “Abortion should always be legal. There should be no restrictions on abortion.” The percentage in favor of abortion throughout pregnancy is higher for Democrats than any political subgroup, the survey shows. 

That result comes as Democrats and media continue to downplay the reality that abortions do occur in the final months and even weeks of pregnancy — all while Democrats make killing unborn babies in abortions central to their campaigns. 

At the same time, Vice President and Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris has repeatedly refused to name an abortion restriction she would support. Her VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) notably has no restrictions on abortions in his state, and at least eight babies have been born alive in botched abortions during his time as governor, per state data. None of the babies appeared to receive life-preserving care, and it “does not appear that any of the babies born alive in botched abortions survived,” The Daily Signal reported.

DESCRIPTION OF A SECOND TRIMESTER ABORTION:

DESCRIPTION OF A THIRD TRIMESTER ABORTION:

Nine states and Washington, DC, have no limits on abortion, according to Abortion Finder. Those states are Alaska, Vermont, Oregon, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, and New Jersey. Under Roe v. Wade, a now-defunct 1973 Supreme Court decision which had invented a constitutional right to abortion, most states allowed abortions up to viability, which is often considered to be between 20 and 24 weeks. Some states allowed abortions after that point, sometimes under certain health exceptions.

Thousands of unborn babies are killed in abortions after 21 weeks of pregnancy every year. The media frames the loss of thousands of unborn lives as rare because late-term abortions make up a small percentage of abortions overall.

For example, there were 625,978 legal induced abortions recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2021. One percent of those were after 21 weeks, which is more than 6,000 post-viability babies killed in abortion. The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute estimated that more than one million abortions were performed in 2023, which by CDC estimates could mean at least 10,000 late-term abortions were performed that year.

The YouGov survey found that 33 percent of Democrats say, “Abortion should be legal, but with some restrictions (such as for minors or late-term abortions),” and 14 percent say, “Abortion should only be legal in special circumstances, such as when the life of the mother is in danger.” Five percent say, “Abortion should be illegal. It should never be allowed.”

In contrast, 51 percent of Republicans agree that “abortion should only be legal in special circumstances, such as when the life of the mother is in danger.” Thirteen percent say abortion should never be legal, while 26 percent say there should be some restrictions, and 10 percent say there should be no restrictions.

Less than a quarter (22 percent) of independents share the belief that abortion should be legal in all circumstances, while 34 percent say it should be legal with some restrictions. More than a third (36 percent) say abortion should only be legal in special circumstances, and 8 percent say it should never be allowed.

Among U.S. citizens overall, 34 percent say, “Abortion should only be legal in special circumstances, such as when the life of the mother is in danger,” and eight percent say it should never be allowed. 

Conversely, 27 percent say killing unborn babies in abortions should “always be legal” with “no restrictions,” and 31 percent say it should be legal with some restrictions.

The same poll found that nearly six in ten Democrats say they would base their vote solely on how a candidate votes on abortion.

The YouGov poll was conducted online on August 14-17, 2024, with 1,134 U.S. adults citizens. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points.

RELATED — CNN’s Collins: ‘Of Course’ Harris Only Wants Abortion Up to Viability, but She Dodged on Restrictions She’d Support

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.