The majority of American adults, including those living in states with the toughest abortion restrictions, want the practice to be legal at least during early pregnancy, according to a new poll from The Associated Press and the NORC Center. for Public Affairs Research.
The poll was conducted in late June, a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade ruling, setting aside a national abortion right that had been in place across the country for nearly 50 years. It comes at a time when lawmakers in Republican-ruled states have moved to drastically limit access to abortion and as GOP presidential candidates are wrestling with how to address the issue.
Although the laws have changed over the past year, the survey found that views on abortion remain much the same as they were a year ago: complex, and with a majority believing that abortion should be allowed in some circumstances. Overall, about two-thirds of Americans think abortion should generally be legal, but only about 25% say it should be allowed in all cases, while only one in 10 think it should be. always illegal.
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Most Americans believe that their state should not allow abortion under any circumstances after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
That’s what Jaleesha Thomas, 34, of Chicago, thinks. âI’d rather the person abort the baby than hurt or get rid of the baby,â she said in an interview. However, she believes that around 20 weeks pregnant abortion should not be an option. “When they’re fully grown and the mother doesn’t have any disease or anything that could cause her or the baby to die, it’s like you’re killing another human being,” she said.
The state in which Thomas lives allows abortion until the fetus is viable, which is generally considered to be around 24 weeks, and has become a destination for people from neighboring states like Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin and elsewhere. Travel ban for abortion.
The survey reveals that 1 in 10 Americans say they know someone who has been unable to get an abortion or who has had to travel to terminate their pregnancy in the past year, and that this is especially prevalent among young people, people of color, and those they live in states where abortion is prohibited at all stages of pregnancy.
Currently, almost half of the states allow abortion between 20 and 27 weeks, but in most cases they prohibit it after that date. Before the Roe v. Wade, virtually every state was in that range. Abortion is now prohibited at all stages of pregnancy â with several exceptions â in 14 states, including much of the southern region of the country.
