Abortion support falls sharply, new research finds

[madmusic]

The findings mark a dramatic shift in public opinion, supporters of abortion rights have outnumbered opponents for many years, with one brief exception, studies have shown.

But only 47 percent of Americans now feel abortion should be legal in all or most cases, a drop from 54 percent a year ago, according to the poll.

Meanwhile, 45 percent say it should be illegal in all or most cases. That's up from 41 percent a year ago.

Given the survey's margin of error, the two camps are statistically tied.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/01/abortion.poll/

[undeterred]

1. I find this hard to believe.

What demographical groups are changing their minds about abortion?

[Hello_Kitty]

5. I'm running into more and more young people who are anti-choice

I attribute it to a) not having experience or memories of pre-Roe days, b) relentless emotionally manipulative propaganda from the anti-choice industry, and c) the fact that the past couple generation of kids have been fed a steady diet of "you're a spayshul snowflake" self-esteem pabulum. I don't know what effect this is having on the stats but I know at least half a dozen or so young DEMS who are anti-choice. When I ask them why they cite their religion and will often say something like "what if my mom had aborted MEEEEEEEE???" It's like they cannot comprehend how the world could function without their majestic presence.

[REP]

7. Poor special snowfwakes. What if their parents had abstained that night or used BC?

zOMG!! Maybe Special Snowfwake was denied the really cool sibling they really wanted!!

Can one regret one's nonexistence? Sounds like a question first-time stoners and navel-gazers would enjoy...

[Hello_Kitty]

12. They can't imagine it

Another variation I've heard, especially popular among young men shouting into bullhorns on corners holding up dead late-term fetus signs is, "50 million children killed since 1973!!1! What if one of them would have been my best friend!!1!" I'm like, dude seriously, there's 6 billion people in the world now and you can't make friends? Try a stick of deodorant and personality. :shrug:

[undeterred]

11. The other issue is that contraception is easier

for young unmarried women to get now than it was in the late 60's or 70's so they may be less likely to have had the experience of an unwanted pregnancy or known someone who has had that experience. We need to tune people in to the fact that there is still unplanned, unwanted pregnancy.

[HelenWheels]

8. Ditto. Hard to believe.

[redqueen]

2. "sharply"... lol, nice spin, CNN!

:eyes:

[BlooInBloo]

4. Uh, losing 7 points (about 1/8, 13% drop) seems pretty sharp to me.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. "all or most cases" is bullshit.

There is a HUGE gap between 'all' and 'most'. The 'all' on the anti- side is a small number. The 'most' on the anti- side could include large numbers of pro-choice people, because it basically only excludes 'abortion on demand', and depending on those included could allow abortions for minors under a certain age, abortion with consent of the parents, abortion in cases of rape or incest, abortions up to the third trimester. The fact is, the majority of pro-choice people accept some restrictions on abortion, which can be spun as being "anti-abortion", and the the majority of anti-abortion people accept the medical necessity for abortion under certain circumstances, which can be spun as "pro-choice".

This is using weasel words to support a position.

This is an article with an agenda, spinning a poll with an agenda.

[get the red out]

6. Very good assessment

The media loves nothing more than sensational polls. Abortion is a complex issue and a lot of people don't see it as a yes or no question. I am pro-choice, period; but realize that many people see it differently without being what I would call completely "anti-choice". If it weren't for the extremist rw people that even want birth control banned, we could probably have a much more reasonable discussion on the issue in this country; them and the media that wants a sound bite in black and white verbiage every 30 seconds.

Absolute anti-abortion in all cases verbiage has been loosing in a lot of referendums in recent years, in even red states.

[fasttense]

9. The Anti-Choice and Pro-Choice numbers are tied.

The minor difference between them is statistically insignificant.

I notice the PEW is so conservative you can bet your bippy they are Anti-Choice. And their religious folks designed the survey.

""These data suggest that a number of people have changed their minds in the past year," said Gregory Smith of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, one of the survey authors."

I Don't trust their numbers or how they asked the question.

You know they wanted to see an Anti-Choice upswing and they got it.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. According to Pew, Liberals no longer see it as a critical issue while conservatives still do.

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1361/support-for-abortion-slips

The shift in opinion is broad-based, appearing in most demographic groups in the population. One of the largest shifts (10 points) has occurred among white, non-Hispanic Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly. Substantial change has also occurred among Democratic men (with support for abortion down nine points), but not among Democratic women.

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, conducted Aug. 11-27 among 4,013 adults reached on both landlines and cell phones, also finds that fewer people say abortion is a critical issue today (15%) compared with 2006, when 28% described abortion as a critical issue facing the country.

There are, however, important political differences in these attitudes. The poll shows evidence of significant weakening in the level of concern about the abortion issue among liberal Democrats, while conservative Republicans appear more entrenched in their positions and less willing to compromise on this issue.

[niyad]

13. and if it is phrased as a woman's right to choose, what are the figures?

scarily, though, these stupid "personhood" amendments that the woman-hating, anti-choice, pro-forced birthers are trying to get voted in so many states are most troublesome.