Most U.S. Residents Support Abortion Rights With Some Restrictions

[truthpusher]

story: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=28683

Pew Study Link: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=253

Most U.S. Residents Support Abortion Rights With Some Restrictions, Pew Study Says
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05 Aug 2005
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About 65% of US residents support the Supreme Court's decision in... Roe v. Wade -- the 1973 decision in which the court struck down state bans on abortion -- but 73% support some restrictions on abortion rights, according to the results of a study released on Wednesday by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, the Long Island Newsday reports (Eisenberg, Long Island Newsday, 8/4). According to the study, which was based on the responses to a July 13-17 survey of 1,502 U.S. adults and a July 7-17 survey of 2,000 adults, 35% of respondents believe abortion should be "generally available"; 23% support stricter limits on the procedure; 31% say it should be illegal except in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the pregnant woman; and 9% think it should be illegal in all circumstances, according to Pew release (Pew release, 8/3). The polls, which were conducted before President Bush nominated Judge John Roberts for a seat on the Supreme Court, also found that 63% of respondents believe Supreme Court decisions on abortion-related cases are very important (Lane, Washington Post, 8/4). Among self-described liberal Democrats, the issue of abortion rights is the most important issue facing the Supreme Court, according to the study.

Other Study Findings
The study also indicated a growing support for human embryonic stem cell research among all major religious groups except white evangelical Protestants, the Long Island Newsday reports. About 32% of white evangelical Protestants support the research, compared with 61% of white Catholics, 70% of mainline Protestants and 77% of nonreligious people. In addition, respondents were divided on whether emergency contraception -- which can prevent pregnancy if taken within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse -- should be available without a doctor's prescription, with 52% supporting it and 37% opposing it (Long Island Newsday, 8/4). The surveys also examined respondent's views on the morality of abortion, parental consent for abortions and sex education in schools (Pew release, 8/3).

Link to story: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=28683

Link to Study: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=253

[SteppingRazor]

1. Pretty much telling us what we already know, yeah?

I think it's pretty obvious where most Americans stand on this. What I find relieving is that the "generally available" option achieved the largest percentage of polled answers. Followed, admittedly, very closely by the rape-and-incest-and-health option. But the all-illegal-all-the-time option scored very low. That's something of a relief.

[BlueJazz]

2. The only "Restrictions" I want on Abortion Rights is ...

"Whatever the Woman thinks is best"

I know this is old but if Men had babies, There would be an abortion clinic in the back of every 7-11...

[Zenlitened]

3. I wonder how many realize that, essentially they support Roe v.Wade...

... exactly as it's written?

The decision gave a woman total autonomy over the pregnancy during the first trimester and defined different levels of state interest for the second and third trimesters.

http://www.saveroe.com/content/index.php?pid=105

... In its ruling, the Supreme Court declared all but the least restrictive state statutes unconstitutional. Noting that early abortions had become safer than childbirth and reasoning that the word "person" in the Constitution "does not include the unborn," the Court defined the reciprocal limits of state power and individual freedom within each of the three stages of pregnancy:

1. During the first trimester, the abortion decision must be left to the medical judgment of the pregnant woman's attending physician, as well as the pregnant woman herself;

2. After the first trimester, the State, in promoting its interest in the health of the mother, may, if it chooses, regulate the abortion procedure in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health; and

3. For the stage subsequent to viability, the State, in promoting its interest in the potentiality of human life, may, if it chooses, regulate and even proscribe abortion, except where it is necessary, in appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother.

... When weighing competing interests, the Court also noted that if the fetus was defined as a "person" for purposes of the Fourteenth Amendment then the fetus would have a specific right to life under that Amendment. However, given the relatively recent nature of abortion criminalization, the Court determined that the original intent of the Constitution up to the enactment of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 did not include the unborn. It should be noted that the Court's determination of whether a fetus can enjoy Constitutional protection is separate from the notion of when life begins. To that, the Court said, "We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade

[Megahurtz]

4. I think that it should be illegal

for anyone to nose into anyone else's business.

In another words:

"Keep your nose out of my crotch and mind your own business!"

:sarcasm: