Politics
Tuesday April 25, 2006
New Poll Shows Americans Don't Understand 1973 Abortion Ruling Roe Vs. Wade
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WASHINGTON - April 25, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A national poll released today at the National Press Club by the Real Women's Voices coalition shows that while 65 percent of Americans say they are familiar with the 1973 landmark abortion case, Roe vs. Wade, only 29 percent are able to select an accurate description of the ruling. While the notorious ruling made abortion legal in essentially all circumstances throughout pregnancy, 50% of respondents believed falsely that the ruling only legalized abortion in early pregnancy or in limited circumstances.
Real Women's Voices is a coalition of national and state-based pro-life organizations bringing women from across the country to Washington on Wednesday to lobby Congress. Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, one of the sponsors of the lobby explained, "Women around the country want common-sense legislation on abortion. We hear senators claim they want to 'reduce the number of abortions.' Pro-life women will be presenting the opportunity for them to prove it, telling senators to pass laws restricting abortionists from taking advantage of young women."
The poll also found that a majority of Americans (54 percent) agreed with one of three traditional pro-life statements:
- Abortion should be prohibited in all circumstances,
- Abortion should be legal only to save the life of the mother,
- Abortion should be legal only in cases of rape, incest or to save the mother's life.
Only 41 percent selected a pro-choice view. Notably, three-quarters of Americans (75 percent) say they believe abortions should never be allowed, allowed only in very limited circumstances, or not past the first trimester of pregnancy. The 18-34 year old group (especially 18-34 year old women) was more likely than respondents overall to identify with one of the three pro-life views of abortion.
"Roe is hanging by a thread that is increasingly being frayed by the American people's exposure to the facts of abortion," said Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List another sponsor of the lobby. "These numbers show that our abortion laws don't represent the beliefs of the vast majority of Americans, including American women." Other sponsors included National Right to Life, Priests For Life, and the Family Research Council.
The national survey of 1000 adults age 18 and over was conducted by the polling company, inc./WomanTrend on April 13-14, 2006. The margin of error was calculated at +/- 3.1 percent.
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