Current:Home > StocksNearly a year later, most Americans oppose Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Nearly a year later, most Americans oppose Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe
View Date:2024-12-23 22:57:03
A growing majority of Americans support legal abortion in at least the early months of pregnancy, but the public has become more politically divided on the issue, according to a new Gallup poll.
The data, released days before the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that overturned decades of precedent, suggests continued growth in public support for abortion rights. It comes at a time when many states are implementing new restrictions, which often include only limited exceptions for medical emergencies.
A year after Dobbs, 61% of respondents said overturning Roe was a "bad thing," while 38% said it was a "good thing."
Lydia Saad, Gallup's director of U.S. social research, says overall, the data suggests that Dobbs "galvanized people who were already supportive of abortion rights. ...We've seen an increase in Democrats identifying as pro-choice, supporting abortion rights at every stage. It's really a very defensive posture, protecting abortion rights in the face of what they view as this assault."
Long-term data from Gallup indicates growing support for abortion rights: 13% of survey respondents said abortion should be illegal in "all circumstances," down from 22% when the question was first asked in 1975. In this year's survey, 34% said abortion should be legal "under any circumstances," up from 21% that first year.
For decades, a slight majority of the American public – 51% this year and 54% in 1975 – has made up a middle group which says that abortion should be legal "only under certain circumstances."
Support for legal abortion wanes as a pregnancy progresses, but the survey found record-high support for abortion access in the first trimester, at 69%.
Saad said she believes that reflects growing dissatisfaction with laws in some states that restrict abortions around six weeks of pregnancy or earlier.
"We've crossed a line where having abortion not legal, even up to the point of viability ... is just a step too far for most Americans," Saad said.
The poll also found a deepening partisan divide on the issue of abortion; 60% of Democrats said it should be "legal under any circumstances," up dramatically from 39% as recently as 2019. Just 8% of Republicans, meanwhile, say the procedure should be legal in all circumstances, a number that has been on a long-term downward trajectory.
Gallup also is releasing data that suggests strong and growing support for legal access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which is at the center of a federal court case filed by anti-abortion-rights groups seeking to overturn the Food and Drug Administration approval of the pill.
The survey found that 63% of Americans believe the pill should be available with a prescription. According to Gallup, after the FDA approved a two-drug protocol involving mifepristone in 2000, 50% of Americans said they supported that decision.
The survey was conducted from May 1-24 among 1,011 adults as part of Gallup's Values and Beliefs poll.
veryGood! (34)
Related
- Tuskegee University closes its campus to the public, fires security chief after shooting
- Russian pro-war activist to face trial over alleged terrorism offenses, Russian news agency says
- Post-pandemic burnout takes toll on U.S. pastors: I'm exhausted all the time
- This 'self-eating' rocket consumes itself for fuel. Scientists hope it'll curb space junk.
- Top Federal Reserve official defends central bank’s independence in wake of Trump win
- Finland extends closure of Russian border for another month, fearing a migrant influx
- Pay raises and higher education spending headline Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposed budget in Georgia
- The war in Gaza has taken an economic toll on tech, Israel's most productive sector
- Wisconsin agency issues first round of permits for Enbridge Line 5 reroute around reservation
- Nick Saban explains why he decided to retire as Alabama head football coach
Ranking
- Bo the police K-9, who located child taken at knifepoint, wins Hero Dog Awards 2024
- Why more women are joining a lawsuit challenging Tennessee's abortion ban
- Microscopic fibers link couple to 5-year-old son’s strangulation 34 years ago, sheriff says
- Judy Blume to receive inaugural lifetime achievement award for 'bravery in literature'
- 'Survivor' 47, Episode 9: Jeff Probst gave players another shocking twist. Who went home?
- Microscopic fibers link couple to 5-year-old son’s strangulation 34 years ago, sheriff says
- US Navy helicopter crew survives crash into ocean in Southern California
- YouTubers Austin and Catherine McBroom Break Up After Nearly 7 Years of Marriage
Recommendation
-
Joey Graziadei Details Why Kelsey Anderson Took a Break From Social Media
-
Campaign advocate for abortion rights makes plea for Kentucky lawmakers to relax abortion ban
-
The lawsuit that could shake up the rental market
-
Forecast warned of avalanche risk ahead of deadly avalanche at Palisades Tahoe ski resort
-
Family of security guard shot and killed at Portland, Oregon, hospital sues facility for $35M
-
See Drew Barrymore’s Tearful Message to Adam Sandler After Watching The Wedding Singer
-
The Cast of Sabrina The Teenage Witch Will Have a Magical Reunion at 90s Con
-
Subway added to Ukraine's list of international war sponsors