Pro-Life to Highest levels in Years Absolute Majority
May 15th, 2009 by David Anderson
Gallup found Pro-life support an absolute majority of their sample.
I am not surprised to see more pro-life Americans than pro-choice Americans. That is consistent with other polls and election returns. Why else would Rahm Emanuel and company have worked overtime to find pro-life Democrats to run in so many districts?
The spread of this poll (51 to 42%) is so great that it made me question the sample. Apparently, Gallup did as well. Their analysis is rock solid. I am still not buying quite the level of support until I see other polls duplicate it, but the trend is undeniable and consistent. It may be accelerated by two factors. There are more people who are Conservative Christians and the percentage of Christians both Protestant and Catholic who are pro-life is skyrocketing. Teachings in the church and a focus of the left on advancing abortion funding, cloning, embryonic stem cell funding, and repealing regulations like parental notification and late term bans seem to be combining to push the middle more to pro-life.
With the first pro-choice president in eight years already making changes to the nation’s policies on funding abortion overseas, expressing his support for the Freedom of Choice Act, and moving toward rescinding federal job protections for medical workers who refuse to participate in abortion procedures, Americans — and, in particular, Republicans — seem to be taking a step back from the pro-choice position. However, the retreat is evident among political moderates as well as conservatives.
It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public’s understanding of what it means to be “pro-choice” slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction.
Republicans are becoming more pro-life as a party than ever before. The numbers have moved from 60 to 70%. Republicans who want no restrictions at all are few and far between. Independents are siding with Republicans. Democrats are still about 1/3 pro-life. These numbers explain why the so-called Freedom of Choice Act is MIA. President Obama understands that he would basically divide his side and unite the opposition. He will try to accomplish his desires through health care reform. Though with 80% of the people opposed to funding abortion, it could be the issue that sinks it.
In other news, a few get along types rush to take the GOP in a different direction to fight over the minority opinion of the country.
My views are my own not necessiarly that of …you know the drill, but they are those of the majority of America.
David , If only more people in our party leadership would accept this fact and give up the worn out and proven to fail belief that social conservatism will ruin the GOP. We are continually told that we can’t win running on social issues.
But I would say that George Bush won the 2000 election because of his stand on social issues and would have been a much better conservative president if he had stuck to conservative values on the fiscal side, again I say it, what we need as conservatives is the total package candidate but first as a party we must show that that is what we want.
It happens to be a pro-life position to ban abortion in most circumstances. That was one of the choices. Total ban, should be illegal in all but a few circumstances (such as rape, incest, or to save a Mother’s life) which equaled your 53% and 51% were self described pro-life. The there was only a small shift in the position on legality overall but there was much more of a willingness to label oneself pro-life by about 7 points. Though there was a significant move to the total ban side.
The real story is that only around 20% of Americans stand with Roe v. Wade. Your 73% willing to tolerate some abortions is not where it is at because the law allows most abortions. Most Americans want restrictions and a slight majority would ban 95% of all abortions outright.