December 18, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided over the specific circumstances in which pregnancy termination should be allowed, according to a poll by SRBI Public Affairs published in Time. 46 per cent of respondents think abortion should be legal when a woman’s health is endangered or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest, while 42 per cent believe a woman should be able to get an abortion is she wants one, no matter what the reason, up until the time the fetus is viable.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided over the specific circumstances in which pregnancy termination should be allowed, according to a poll by SRBI Public Affairs published in Time. 46 per cent of respondents think abortion should be legal when a woman’s health is endangered or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest, while 42 per cent believe a woman should be able to get an abortion is she wants one, no matter what the reason, up until the time the fetus is viable.

In addition, nine per cent of respondents say abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, even if the mother’s life is in danger.

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."

On Dec. 16, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who is seeking the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2008, discussed his views on abortion, saying, "I was always personally opposed to abortion, as I think almost everyone in this nation is. And the question for me was, what is the role of government? (...) My view is that the right next step in the fight to preserve the sanctity of life is to see Roe v. Wade overturned and then return to the states and to the elected representatives of the people the ability to deal with life and abortion on their own."

Polling Data

Which of these positions best represents your views about abortion?

A woman should be able to get an abortion is she wants one, no matter what the reason, up until the time the fetus is viable, that is, live on its own	42%
Abortion should only be legal in certain circumstances, such as when a woman’s health is endangered or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest	46%
Abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, even if the mother’s life is in danger	9%
No answer / Don’t know	3%

Source: Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs / Time
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,503 registered American voters, conducted from Nov. 12 to Nov. 19, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.