July 30, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe pregnancy termination should be allowed, according to a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News. 57 per cent of respondents believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 42 per cent think the procedure should be illegal some or all of the time.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe pregnancy termination should be allowed, according to a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News. 57 per cent of respondents believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 42 per cent think the procedure should be illegal some or all of the time.

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."

Earlier this month, U.S. officials revealed that 27-year-old Paul Evans pleaded guilty to attempting to bomb a Texas clinic where abortions are performed. Evans faces up to 40 years in prison. The device he placed in front of the clinic did not explode.

According to the National Abortion Federation (NAF), more than 40 abortion clinic bombings have been reported since 1977.

Polling Data

Do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases or illegal in all cases?

	Jul. 2007	Feb. 2007	Dec. 2005
Legal in all cases	23%	16%	17%
Legal in most cases	34%	39%	40%
Illegal in most cases	28%	31%	27%
Illegal in all cases	14%	12%	13%

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,125 American adults, conducted from Jul. 18 to Jul. 21, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.