Nearly half of Democrats support abortion restrictions; two-thirds support late-term ban: poll
Almost half of Democrats support considerable restrictions on abortion after the first trimester, with over two-thirds supporting a late-term abortion ban, according to a new poll.
According to the findings of a Marist Poll conducted on behalf of the Knights of Columbus released on Wednesday, most Democrat respondents support varying levels of restrictions on abortion.
The poll found that while 32% of Democrat respondents believed “abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy,” the remainder supported limits.
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This included 19% who believed that “abortion should be allowed only during the first six months of a pregnancy” and 49% who believed in greater limits on abortion access.
The 49% included 29% who believed that “abortion should be allowed only during the first three months of a pregnancy,” 13% who believed that “abortion should be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother,” 3% who believed that “abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother,” and 4% who believed that “abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance.”
Among Republican respondents, only 4% said they believe “abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy,” while 42% believed that “abortion should be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.”
However, among the total sample of American adults, 21% said they supported making abortion available in all circumstances, while 10% thought it should not be allowed after the first six months of a pregnancy and 69% supported greater restrictions of varying levels.
Data for the poll came from a survey conducted Jan. 6–9 of 1,025 adults, including 885 registered voters, with a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points for the overall sample, and a margin of error of ±3.8 percentage points for the voters.
The poll also found that, despite the considerable support for abortion restrictions, 61% of respondents identified as pro-choice, while 39% of respondents identified as pro-life.
Barbara L. Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll, said in a statement released Wednesday that the findings mirrored that of an earlier poll taken on the issue before the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade via last year’s Dobbs v. Jackson case.
“Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe abortion should be limited,” stated Carvalho. “After a year of contentious public debate over the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, the results are comparable to the findings of a Knights of Columbus–Marist Poll conducted last January.”
The poll was taken shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives passed two pro-life measures, one that required abortion providers to provide care to babies who survive an abortion and another denouncing the violence against pro-life churches and pregnancy care centers.
The measures passed mostly along party lines. Only one Democrat — Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas — voted in favor of the bill to require medical treatment for babies who survive an abortion, while only three Democrats — Vicente Gonzael of Texas, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Marie Perez of Washington — voted in favor of the resolution condemning violence against pro-life groups.
The bill to protect babies who survive an abortion is not expected to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate, and if it did, Democrat President Joe Biden is expected to veto the measure.
