KofC/Marist Poll: 69% of Americans Support Limiting Abortion to at Least First 3 Months of Pregnancy
(CNSNews.com) — A new Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll shows that while 61% of American adults describe themselves as “pro-choice,” at least 69% of those adults believe there should be restrictions on abortion, such as during the first three months of pregnancy, only in cases of rape or incest, or to save the mother’s life.
At least 8% of Americans believe abortion should not be permitted under any circumstance.
“Nearly 7 in 10 Americans believe abortion should be limited,” said Dr. Barbara L. Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll, in a statement. “After a year of contentious public debate over the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, the results are comparable to the findings of a Knights of Columbus–Marist Poll conducted last January.”
The new poll shows that 91% of adults support pregnancy resource centers, which provide help to mothers during and after pregnancy. Also, 60% of U.S. adults oppose using U.S. tax dollars for domestic abortions, and 78% oppose funding for abortions abroad.
“Since the start of the Knights of Columbus–Marist Poll in 2008, we’ve seen a consistent and clear consensus of Americans who support restrictions on abortion,” said Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly. “Likewise, an overwhelming majority of people — 90% this year — believe that our laws can protect both the mother and her unborn child.”
“Too often, the abortion debate is framed in the context of supporting either one or the other,” he added. “The reality is, we can — and must — craft laws that protect both mothers and their children.”
The poll shows that 69% of adults want restrictions on abortions of one degree or another. For instance, 25% say “abortion should be allowed only during the first three months of pregnancy”; 26% believe “abortion should be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother”; 10% say “abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother”; and 8% believe “abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance.”
Only 10% of Americans think abortion should be allowed during the first six months of pregnancy. However, 21% said “abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy.”
The poll also asked, “Do you strongly support, support, oppose, or strongly oppose abortion because the child will be born with Down Syndrome?” In response, 60% said they “oppose/strongly oppose” such abortions; 40% said they “support/strongly support” the procedure.
When asked whether they support or oppose abortion based on the child’s sex, 94% of adults said they “oppose/strongly oppose” it and only 6% said they “support/strongly support” it.
“The Knights will redouble our efforts to restore a culture of life and advance a culture of compassion for pregnant women in need,” said Supreme Knight Kelly.
In a statement, he added, “In early June 2022, we launched a new Knights of Columbus campaign called ASAP, which stands for Aid and Support After Pregnancy. ASAP is a call to action for Knights across the United States and Canada to offer even more support for pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes and other organizations that give direct assistance to new mothers and babies. We set a goal of $5 million in ASAP’s first year, and we’re already well on our way to exceeding that.”
For the poll, 1,025 adults, aged 18 and older and living in the U.S., were interviewed by telephone and online Jan. 6-9, 2023. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.
To read the survey, click here.
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