(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe the landmark Supreme Court ruling that set specific guidelines for pregnancy termination should be left alone, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 62 per cent of respondents believe the Roe versus Wade decision should not be overturned.

The 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling 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."

Earlier this month, California congressman Duncan Hunter—who has launched a bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination—discussed his views on abortion and the judiciary, saying, "If we have a judicial applicant, a judicial nominee who can look at a sonogram of an unborn child and not see the value of human life. (...) If I should become president of the United States, he will not receive a judicial appointment."

In December 2005, a legal memorandum showed that Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito apparently favours overturning the Roe v. Wade ruling. In 1992, Sandra Day O'Connor—the justice Alito has replaced—voted against rescinding the 1973 decision that legalized abortion. Alito has said the document reflects his role as a lawyer, and not the way he would vote on specific issues in the Supreme Court.

Polling Data

Would you like to see the Supreme Court overturn its 1973 Roe versus Wade decision concerning abortion, or not?

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