New study: Support drops for legal abortion
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- October
- 1
Support for legal abortion is slipping, according to a new study from the Pew Forum on Religin & Public Life.
The percentage of Americans who believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases passed 60 percent at several points during the last decade, but now has dropped to 47%.
And the percentage of people who believe that abortion should be ILLEGAL in all or most cases had risen in the last year from 41% to 45%.
So we’re now looking at almost a dead heat: 47% in support of legal abortion, 45% against.
The study suggests that opposition to abortion among conservatives has strengthened during a Democratic presidency, while liberals have gotten complacent on the issue.
The percentage of liberal Democrats saying that abortion is a “critical” issue has fallen sharply from 34% in March 06 to 8% in August 09.
The Pew people say:
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The timing of this shift in attitudes on abortion suggests it could be connected to Obama’s election. The decline in support for legal abortion first appeared in polls in the spring of 2009. Overall, roughly three-in-ten (29%) think Obama will handle the abortion issue about right as president. One-in-five Americans (19%) worry that Obama will go too far in supporting abortion rights, while very few (4%) express the opposite concern that Obama will not go far enough to support abortion rights. Concern about Obama’s handling of abortion is especially evident on the right; fully half of conservative Republicans (52%) worry that Obama will go too far in supporting abortion rights. However, nearly one-in-five political independents (18%) also worry that Obama will go too far in support of abortion rights.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, October 1st, 2009 at 1:56 pm by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
I would think this is a very off balanced vote. Just who were the people taking the vote? Men/women. Which religion and whether they are orthodox in their views. If the church did it you bet no one will take the poll in front of the priest saying yes i want abortions to be legal.
just my 3 cents