The majority of Americans support legal restrictions on abortions, according to a new poll.
The Marist Poll, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, found that most Americans want states to oversee their own abortions restrictions rather than have the legalities overseen by a central, federal government as stipulated in 1973 by Roe V. Wade.
"When it comes to the direction of government policy, there has been consistency and consensus in American public opinion on the issue of abortion over the decades," Dr. Barbara Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll, said in a press release on the results.
The poll found 54 percent of Americans oppose taxpayer funding being used for abortions. The same percentage of those polled said organizations with religious objections to abortions should not be required by law to provide insurance coverage for abortions.
Approximately 63 percent of Americans are opposed to the passage of new laws by the federal government that would mail abortion medication to women rather than requiring women to be prescribed the medication in person by a health care provider.
Of the 73 percent of Americans who said they “oppose” or “strongly oppose” using taxes to oppose abortion abroad, 59 percent self-identified as pro-choice.
Similarly, at least three-quarters of respondents said medical professionals — including doctors and nurses — who object to abortion for religious reasons should not be obligated to perform the procedure.
About 12 percent of those polled said abortion should be only available during the first six months of pregnancy. Another 17 percent said abortion should be available during the entire pregnancy.
Poll participants were asked to select one of six options regarding abortion restrictions: "abortion should be available to a woman at any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy"; "abortion should be allowed only during the first six months of a pregnancy"; "abortion should be allowed only during the first three months of a pregnancy"; "abortion should be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother"; "abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother"; and "abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance."
In a press release, Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said, “As we await a decision in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, our polling continues to show that over 60% of Americans reject the central holding of Roe v. Wade, and want to return the decision to the states or make abortion illegal.”
The poll surveyed 1,004 adults across the nation via telephone between Jan. 4 and Jan. 9, 2022. Survey questions were available in both English and Spanish.
