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Poll - More Americans Condemn Fur Clothing Than Divorce or Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Finds Americans Still Divided on Abortion

By Michael Baggot

PRINCETON, NJ, May 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - More Americans condemn wearing clothes made of animal fur than divorce or embryonic stem cell research, according to the recently released annual Gallup Values and Belief (GVB) survey.

An unprecedented 70 percent of Americans polled May 8-11 for the renowned survey declared that divorce was "morally acceptable." American tolerance for divorce has increased 11% since the same Gallup poll in 2001.

While only 22% of Americans morally condemned divorce, 39% found purchasing and wearing clothing made from animal fur "morally wrong."  While almost four in ten Americans expressed moral qualms with killing animals for clothing, only three in ten objected to destroying human embryos for stem cell research.
 
Mike McManus, co-founder of Marriage Savers, lamented the failure of churches to promote quality, lifelong marriages.

"The Church hardly ever preaches on the issue of divorce or cohabitation or marriage. It's God's first institution, but it's often the Church's last institution. The good news is that the Church can turn it around," McManus told CitizenLink.org.

McManus encouraged more focus on marriage preparation courses for engaged couples.

"Those who go through serious preparation can divorce-proof their relationship. [Churches] can require couples to take a premarital inventory. They can train couples in healthy marriages to mentor other couples to prepare them for marriage, and they can teach them skills of communication and conflict resolution."

Even among those who considered religion "very important," 55% deemed divorce "morally acceptable."

The poll also indicated a slight decline in national acceptance for the legalization of same-sex "marriages." Support for the notion that same-sex "marriages" should be "recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriage" dropped from 46% to 40% since last year.

The nation's almost even split over a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman remains, however, practically unchanged since last year's poll.

The poll also indicated that American's views on abortion have remained relatively static.

Only 13% indicated that the presidential candidate they will vote for must share their views on abortion, while 49% still considered abortion "one of many important factors" in casting their vote.

About 50% of Americans describe themselves as "pro-choice," while 44% describe themselves as "pro-life." Following a strong "pro-choice" tilt from 1995-1997, subsequent GVB surveys have indicated a relatively even split on the abortion issue each year.

Gallup interviewed 1017 American adults of voting age for this year's poll. The maximum margin of sampling error is stated to be ±3 percentage points.

"In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls," warned Gallup.com.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Gallup Poll Shows Highest-Ever Acceptance of Homosexuality in America
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07053003.html

Gallup Poll Shows Americans Evenly Divided Between "Pro-life" and "Pro-choice", but Favor Restrictions
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/may/07052405.html

Read the Gallup report on divorce:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107380/Cultural-Tolerance-Divorce-Grows-70.aspx

Read the Gallup report on same-sex "marriage":
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107305/Ruling-SameSex-Marriage-Bucks-Majority-View.as...

Read the Gallup report on abortion:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/107458/Abortion-Issue-Laying-Low-2008-Campaign.aspx

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