A press release from Lake County Right to Life:
Contrary to Media Spin,
New Gallop Poll Shows Americans More Pro-life than Ever
(Grayslake, IL – May 25, 2011) This week a new Gallop poll on abortion was released. The poll attracted a great deal of media attention because, unlike recent years, it showed more Americans identifying themselves as “pro-choice” (49%) than pro-life (45%). However, a closer look at the data reveals that Americans are more strongly pro-life than ever.
Lake County Right To Life leader Bonnie Quirke and McHenry County Right To Life leader Irene Napier pose during Patriots United first Pro-Life Unity Breakfast in 2010.
The abortion lobby may have loved the opportunity for political spin, but the only way in which Americans are more “pro-choice” is in their choice of words.
The problem is that asking a broad question does not allow for nuanced responses. Asking more specific questions, such as “should my doctor be forced to perform or refer for abortions” or “should tax dollars be spent on abortions” gives a clearer picture. Other recent polls show that a strong majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion and that Americans strongly favor conscience protections for health care providers.
Ironically, the Gallup report noted that
“Over the past two decades, Americans have consistently leaned toward believing abortion should be legal in only a few or no circumstances.”
Here is what the poll found:
- Sixty-one percent of all Americans believe that abortion should be legal in “few or no circumstances.”
- Sixty percent of Independents believe abortion should be legal in “few or no circumstances.”
- Fifty-one percent of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong, while only 39 percent believe it is morally acceptable
- Only 37 percent want abortion legal “in all or most circumstances.”
- A 53% majority of those between the ages of 18 and 34 called abortion morally wrong
Interestingly, those who consider themselves pro-choice tend not to hold the extreme views of organizations like Planned Parenthood. Gallup’s most recent data shows that only 27% of Americans support abortion-on-demand—which means that 22% of those calling themselves “pro-choice” do not.
About Lake County Right to Life:
Established in 1973 and headquartered in Grayslake, Lake County Right to Life is an educational and advocacy organization for the protection of innocent human life. The organization works in Lake County to promote the vision of a society in which all human life is respected, protected and secure. For more information, please call the Lake County Right to Life office at (847) 223-7022.
This is apples and oranges. While personally I am pro-life in most situations, I stand behind pro-choice. It is not the role of government to tell a woman what to do. When parsed in that language I believe the majority of Americans would rally behind “Pro-Choice”
This is where I just understand the Tea Party. They want less government and government not telling us what to do, but they get behind the “Pro-Life movement.
This decision is clearly a women’s with the counsel of their god, family and medical expertise, not Uncle Sam or extremist groups.
Well sasid LCTRUTH!
Cheers LC! Well said!
Whatever my personal views are on abortion, they are just that, my views. I don’t believe it is my right to impart those views on anyone else, let alone write laws telling people what they can and can’t do with their own bodies. And as a woman, I resent the idea that a bunch of men (because, let’s be honest, most politicians are men) make laws forcing women to do things with their bodies.
For example, the governor of Texas just signed a law that women MUST get a sonogram/ultrasound before having an abortion. For those who are not women, or women who have never had one, ultrasounds done in the first trimester of pregnancy are done transvaginally. That means that the government is going to require women to have a medical procedure that requires inserting a medical instrument INSIDE their vagina before making a choice to have an abortion or not. If that’s not government intrusion, I don’t know what is! And my next question is who is going to pay for these ultrasounds? Is Joe taxpayer going to pay for them? What about raising these children? If a woman is pregnant with no help from the father and no means of taking care of the child, does anyone think about the expense of raising the child and who is going to pay for that before they force their views on women?
God is pro-life. If you want to line up against Him, that’s your business.
Cindy,
Respectfully, YOUR God is pro-life. Your beliefs dicate that you would not have an abortion and abortions are not acceptable. That is completely fine. But there are other people in this world and in this country who may not share your beliefs. And I personally do not believe it is my right to tell people who or what to believe in. When it comes down to it, we will all have to answer to what we have or haven’t done in this life and until then, I believe completely in the freedom to choose the way you live your life.
For the record, I am a mother, pregnant (7 months) with another child and would never consider abortion as an option for me personally.
Btw, if you look at the Gallup poll, there are stark differences in opinion based on age and political party. Older Americans and Republicans are most likely to disagree with abortion in any circumstance. Although, that is not all that shocking to me.