The New Normal on Abortion: Americans More "Pro-Life"

[cali]

May 14, 2010

For second year straight, "pro-life" and "pro-choice" closely matched
by Lydia Saad


PRINCETON, NJ -- The conservative shift in Americans' views on abortion that Gallup first recorded a year ago has carried over into 2010. Slightly more Americans call themselves "pro-life" than "pro-choice," 47% vs. 45%, according to a May 3-6 Gallup poll. This is nearly identical to the 47% to 46% division found last July following a more strongly pro-life advantage of 51% to 42% last May.


While the two-percentage-point gap in current abortion views is not significant, it represents the third consecutive time Gallup has found more Americans taking the pro-life than pro-choice position on this measure since May 2009, suggesting a real change in public opinion. By contrast, in nearly all readings on this question since 1995, and each survey from 2003 to 2008, more Americans called themselves pro-choice than pro-life.

Shift Limited to Republicans and Independents

According to two-year averages of these results since 2001, Republicans have become more likely to call themselves pro-life since polling conducted in 2003/2004, as have Republican-leaning independents since 2005/2006. Independents who lean to neither party also became more likely to call themselves "pro-life" between 2003/2004 and 2005/2006, but have since held steady.

Democrats' self-identification with the pro-life position has moved in the other direction, declining from 37% in 2003/2004 to 31% in 2009/2010. Among independents who lean Democratic, there has been no movement in either direction.

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http://www.gallup.com/poll/128036/New-Normal-Abortion-Americans-Pro-Life.aspx?utm_source=tagrss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_term=Politics#1

[47of74]

1. And the only life these people care about is...

...that which has not yet exited the womb, or that which they think can get them votes. Republicans love to pat themselves on the back and say how pro-life they are, but overall their words and their deeds have shown them to be anti-life.

[Newest Reality]

2. We have such a wonderful world in store

for human newbies! Welcome to the corporately raped planet, kids! Exciting careers and deep realizations about life await you! You can witness extinctions and befoulment and your odds of being poor are good, so find those best things that are free if you don't end-up in prison or homeless.

When you have a grasp on the current scenario, it becomes a compassionate deed to not bring children into this mess at this point. Can one love one's children enough to not have them in the first place?

[ipaint]

3. The result of 30 years of conservative policies and pandering to the religious right

coming from both sides of the aisle. It continues today.

[notadmblnd]

4. They're just pro fetus

Once they're born, their attitude towards children is that they can all go to hell.

[CTyankee]

5. Iview this a little differently. I think advances in contraceptive technology

has made people feel "bullet proof" on unplanned pregnancy. When Roe v. Wade was decided, there was not the wide choices of birth control available to women that we have today. We also, of course, have Emergency Contraception. This gives people a feeling of "safety." It can be a false sense, of course. But I think a lot of people have been lulled into believing it can't happen to them.

Of course, when an accidental pregnancy happens to YOU, it's all different. Which is why, when I worked for Planned Parenthood, we used to say that there are three exceptions to any ban on abortion: rape, incest, and ME.