Support for Abortion Dwindling Among General Population

By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer

According to new national poll numbers, support for abortion among the general public has dropped to its lowest levels ever, putting the radically pro-abortion Obama administration at odds with mainstream America on this issue.

According to a report on the Catholic News Agency (CNA), the new poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, found only 46 percent of respondents supporting legal abortion in most or all cases compared with 54 percent who voiced the same opinion in August, 2008. There has also been in increase in support for abortion being illegal in most or all cases, from 41 percent in August 2008 to 46 percent in the most recent poll.

The largest drop in abortion support appears to be among men. In August, 2008 53 percent of men generally supported legal abortion, while in April, 2009 only 43 percent did.

The percentage of women who believed abortion should be illegal in most or all cases remained steady at 42 percent, but the number of women supporting legal abortion declined from 54 to 49 percent.

The picture for Catholics appears to be mixed, with Catholics surveyed by Pew in August 2008 more likely to say abortion should be illegal than those polled in April 2009, at a rate of 47 percent and 42 percent, respectively.

The number of Catholics who said abortion generally should be legal declined by two points from 49 percent to 47 percent. However, their numbers peaked at about 56 percent in mid and late October, according to two other Pew surveys.

According to the Pew Forum, support for abortion has “steadily declined” since August among white mainline Protestants, from 69 to 54 percent. Only 23 percent of white evangelical Protestants now favor legal abortion.

College graduates were most likely to support legal abortion by a margin of 58 to 33 percent, while those with a high school education or less were most likely to think it should be illegal, by a margin of 50-38.

Those making over $75,000 a year were most likely to support legal abortion.

Support for abortion decreases even more dramatically in polls where respondents are given specific instances where abortions might occur. A Knights of Columbus-commissioned survey published in October 2008 reported that 72 percent of Catholics said they would limit legalized abortion to cases of rape or incest and to save the life of the mother, would permit it only to save the life of the mother, or do not believe abortion should ever be permitted.

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