Politics | 05/15/2009 9:30 am
Gallup: More Americans 'Pro-Life' Than Ever Before
Fifty-one percent of Americans describe themselves as ‘pro-life,’ according to a new Gallup Poll.
More Americans than ever before describe themselves as "pro-life," according to a new Gallup Poll. When asked, "With respect to the abortion issue, do you consider yourself pro-life or pro-choice?" 51% of Americans said the former, while only 42% said the latter.
This is the first time the majority of pollees have described themselves as "pro-life," the polling firm reports:
The new results, obtained from Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, represent a significant shift from a year ago, when 50% were pro-choice and 44% pro-life. Prior to now, the highest percentage identifying as pro-life was 46%, in both August 2001 and May 2002.
Additionally, a recent national survey by the Pew Research Center recorded an eight percentage-point decline since last August in those saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases, from 54% to 46%. The percentage saying abortion should be legal in only a few or no cases increased from 41% to 44% over the same period.
Where do you stand, reader: Should abortion always be legal, never be legal or be legal on in certain circumstances, like rape or incest?
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58 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
I’m not surprised!
With the other means of birth control today…less people are accepting abortion as a means to prevent pregnancy except in extreme unique situations.
I’m pro life unless it is under EXTREME health dangering risk circumstances to the mother or violent rape situations. Even in the case of rape I hope that they could come to terms with the innocent life they are developing and consider adoption if they feel unable to be a parent.
The child did not commit the criminal action…and it is a part of the mother
I prefer that people have the CHOICE to have sex or not in non rape situations.
I find it reassuring that so many are pro life. But I strongly believe the neither the government nor the "Holier Than Thous" should dictate what I can or cannot do with my body. No one ever said personal choices of any caliber would not be life changing or would be easy. That’s part of life, and it’s also no one’s business.
The anti abortionists need to get their heads on straight. How can Notre Dame award Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter honorary degrees but are having a meltdown over President Obama. After all, Ford and Carter supported abortion rights, and it was no big sectet.
You may have the ultimate choice over what you do with yoiur body…but you must have the help of someone else to abort a baby.
Taxpayers should not have to pay for it and doctors should not be required to perform it just because you want it!
Once again… your opinion and nothing more. Simple as that.
Young girls/ women with no means will continue to seek back alley abortionists. Making abortion illegal will not stop it. It will just force women to find alternate ways to abort, putting their own lives at risk. Back alley abortionists would be thrilled. They could up their prices. And that’s my opinion.
Well, sure, SJ, but what makes you think a 13 year old is going to think about taking her free birth control each day. Do you think they will skip going to the mall with their friends so they can watch a film on adoption? Let’s be realistic here. Young teens are not proactive. Neither are many adults, for that matter. Abortions will continue, whether they are legal or not. If anti abortion legislation was passed, the quacks would cheer, order more coat hangers, and Aspirin for any pain. Plus cheap towels at WalMart for excess bleeding. What part of that do you find appealing?
Your post says it all! While abortion is the ending of a life inside the womb, better than outside. We CANNOT go back to the hanger. Oh…the thought of it, my daughter wants an abortion and is too scared to tell me and goes to some chop shop and then both the fetus and my daughter die, I can’t even fathom it. We live in a sinful world, there’s no doubt about it, but what is worse? The back alley abortionists will pray on women and children using fear to make them pay higher prices. Birth control should be free, abortion should not but it should be legal and safe and rare.
That is their decision then Maggie. They have other alternatives….like USING A CONDOM. If they choose illegal abortions, then so be it. It is the consequences that they have freely chosen. They can only blames themselves for their poor choices.
It’s called personal responsibility. They should get a grip on that one.
Condoms….problem solved.
Several years ago, a friend was cleaning out her 15 year old son’s sock drawer when she discovered his condoms. She was so shocked she had to sit down. He didn’t even have a girlfriend. Then she came to her senses and was glad he was smart enough to be using a condom with his "friends with benefits". But where, she wondered, did he get them? He said an older high school boy would get them for him.
There’s a four-fold problem with condoms. Most 13-16 year old boys are not going to buy them. Too embarrassed, don’t want to spend money on something like that, most believe it’s the girl’s problem, and they don’t want to wear a raincoat.
As for their young girlfriends, they want to make their boyfriends happy and be with them only. They worry some " hater" will take their boyfriend. So, protection is way down the list of what’s important as long as they can keep the guy. They’ll do whatever he wants to keep him. We all know what a 15 year old boy wants.
There are too many angles here to identify condoms/birth control as the only solution to a rapidly increasing problem. The last time I read the stats, they were that 1 in 4 teenage girls get pregnant.
There are plenty of people that make bad choices. Illegal abortions? Your bad choice. Illegal drugs? Your bad choice. Breaking and entering because you didn’t keep a job? Your bad choice.
Lots of bad choices….women should take the real power that they have and insist on protection.
Simple.
Excellent post Maggie.
The other thing I’d like to add is making sure Roe v. Wade is not overturned. We must not forget that Roe v. Wade was not about Abortion it was about a Right to Privacy.