Washington, D.C., October 9, 2012 (LifeSiteNews) – President Obama’s campaign focus on abortion rights may backfire as a new poll reveals strongly pro-life voters outnumber those who describe themselves as strongly pro-choice.
The nationwide Gallup poll, released October 4, asked registered voters of all ages about the impact of the abortion issue on their vote in the presidential election.
Seventeen percent of respondents said that abortion was the single most important issue that would determine their vote for Commander in Chief, and they would never vote for a candidate who did not share their beliefs on the issue. The bad news for President Obama, a strong proponent of legal abortion, is that the majority of these single-issue voters are pro-life.
Twenty-one percent of registered voters stated they would never vote for a candidate who supported abortion, versus 15% who would only vote for a pro-abortion candidate like Obama.
In addition to the voters for whom abortion is the top issue, 45% of those polled say abortion will be one of many important factors they consider in voting. Only 34% of those polled consider abortion a non-issue. Overall, 48% of those polled considered themselves pro-choice, while 45% considered themselves pro-life.
The sway of the abortion issue on the November election will hinge mostly on those voters who promise that their view on the issue will influence their decision. According to the poll, not only do single-issue pro-life voters outnumber those who strongly support abortion, even more moderately pro-life voters are more likely to say they will factor a candidate’s position on abortion into their choice at the ballot box – 49%, compared to 43% for those describing themselves as pro-choice. Proponents of legal abortion are also much more likely to say abortion is not a major issue to them – 39% of pro-choicers, compared to 27% of pro-lifers.
The president, in recent weeks, has touted the theme of a “war on women” being perpetrated by Republicans, banking on the hope that ardent supporters of abortion will turn out to hand him the election in November.