October 24, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - People in the United States hold differing views on how pregnancy termination should be regulated in their country, according to a poll by CBS News. 34 per cent of respondents think abortion should be allowed only in cases such as rape, incest and to save the woman’s life, while 26 per cent think it should always be permitted.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - People in the United States hold differing views on how pregnancy termination should be regulated in their country, according to a poll by CBS News. 34 per cent of respondents think abortion should be allowed only in cases such as rape, incest and to save the woman’s life, while 26 per cent think it should always be permitted.

An additional 16 per cent of respondents think pregnancy termination should be allowed by law but be subject to greater restrictions, and the same number believe it should only be permitted in cases where it is necessary to save the woman’s life. Another four per cent of respondents say abortion should be completely banned.

A Supreme Court ruling in 1973 gave American women the right to an abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy, and regulated the procedure during the second trimester "in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health." In the third trimester, a state can choose to proscribe abortion, except when necessary "for the preservation of the life or health of the mother."

In April, a Supreme Court ruling effectively banned partial birth abortion—a procedure performed in the late-term of pregnancy when the fetus can survive outside the womb—without making an exception for the health of the mother.

On Oct. 21, actor and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson—who is seeking the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2008—accused fellow contender and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani of not being true to the party’s values because he "believes in federal funding for abortion," and added: "He’s for gun control. He supported Mario Cuomo, a liberal Democrat, against a Republican who was running for governor; then opposed the governor’s tax cuts when he was there. So I simply disagree with him on those issues. And he sides with (Democratic presidential hopeful) Hillary Clinton on each of those issues I just mentioned."

Polling Data

What is your personal feeling about abortion?

	Oct. 2007	Jan. 2007	Apr. 2006
It should be permitted in all cases	26%	31%	29%
It should be permitted, but subject to greater restrictions than it is now	16%	16%	17%
It should be permitted only in cases such as rape, incest and to save the woman’s life	34%	30%	33%
It should only be permitted to save the woman’s life	16%	12%	14%
It should not be permitted at all	4%	5%	4%
Don’t know / No answer	4%	6%	3%

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,143 American registered voters, conducted from Oct. 12 to Oct. 16, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.