December 17, 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. 53 per cent of respondents think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 44 per cent would outlaw the procedure in all or most circumstances.

(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. 53 per cent of respondents think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 44 per cent would outlaw the procedure in all or most circumstances.

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. 12, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is seeking the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in 2008, discussed his views on abortion, saying, "I think I’ve explained my position on abortion, which is that I oppose it. But I believe that ultimately the government should leave that decision to a woman and her conscience. I would like to see limitations on abortion. I’ve brought those about in New York City. We reduced abortion. We increased adoptions by 135 per cent. But ultimately it’s a position that I thought out a long time ago. For me it’s a position of conscience, and it’s a position that (...) I’m not going to change."

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?

	Dec. 2007	Nov. 2007	Jul. 2007
Legal in all cases	18%	19%	23%
Legal in most cases	35%	36%	34%
Illegal in most cases	27%	27%	28%
Illegal in all cases	17%	16%	14%
No opinion	3%	2%	2%

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,136 American adults, conducted from Dec. 6 to Dec. 9, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.