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A new poll released by Gallup reports record high numbers in support of abortion rights at all stages.
Gallup’s latest poll reported that 69 percent of respondents agree that “abortion should generally be legal in the first three months of pregnancy.” The number outdoes the previous high of 67% reported last May after the draft of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked.
The leak revealing the Supreme Court planned to overturn Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal in the United States, and the subsequent decision that came down in June 2022, has naturally impacted polling.
While abortion at other stages of pregnancy did not have as much support, the percentage of respondents expressing support still increased. Gallup said 37 percent said abortion should be legal in the second three months of pregnancy and 22 percent in the last three months of pregnancy, the highest numbers since 1996.
When it comes to moral opinions of abortion, a record 52 percent said “abortion is morally acceptable, matching last year’s all-time high. This is 10 percentage points above the historical average since 2001.”
The higher numbers are directly correlated to the Dobbs decision, as Gallup reports:
A 61% majority of Americans think overturning Roe v. Wade, thus ending constitutional protection for abortion rights and returning the matter to the states, was a “bad thing,” while 38% consider it a “good thing.” Last year at this time, shortly after the Dobbs draft was leaked, 63% said overturning Roe v. Wade would be a bad thing and 32% a good thing.
Gallup conducts this poll during the month of May as part of its “Values and Beliefs” poll; that means last year’s numbers were in response to the leak of the Dobbs draft, not the actual ruling.
Another interesting number in the poll was the number of Americans who support banning abortion in all circumstances: 21 percent of respondents supported a total ban in 2019, in 2022 and 2023 that number fell to 13 percent.
Numerous state laws banning or restricting abortions have been raised or passed since Dobbs despite the growing support for abortion rights.
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