According to the Harris Poll, abortion limits are surprisingly popular: half of Americans believe abortion should be legal no later than six weeks into pregnancy, and a strong majority believe abortion should be legal no later than 15 weeks—the same limit considered in the U.S. Supreme Court case that overturned Roe v. Wade.
A majority of survey respondents, 37%, supported tight abortion rules that allowed abortion only “in circumstances of rape or incest.” This information comes from a national poll of registered voters conducted by the Harvard Center for American Political Studies and Harris Poll in June 2022.
Another 13% supported abortion up to six weeks into a pregnancy, and 23% supported abortion up to 15 weeks. Some respondents (18%) supported legalising abortion until 23 weeks, while 10% supported legalising abortion until nine months of pregnancy.
When the most restricted opinions were added together, over half of respondents supported abortion no later than six weeks into pregnancy, and 72 percent supported abortion no later than 15 weeks.
Despite the Democratic Party’s strong pro-abortion platform and the fact that few of its top political officials are openly pro-life, the Harris Poll found that 60% of Democrats believe abortion should be permitted no later than 15 weeks into a pregnancy. This compared to 84% of Republicans and 70% of independents and other voters.
Women preferred slightly stricter rules, with 75% supporting legal abortion no later than 15 weeks, compared to 69 percent of males. The 15-week threshold is relevant because the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling dealt with Mississippi’s 15-week abortion prohibition.
Five Supreme Court justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that compelled the legality of abortion nationally, in a ruling written by Justice Samuel Alito. Chief Justice Roberts concurred, stating the court should have accepted the Mississippi restriction but will revisit Roe later.
The Supreme Court declared in Roe that states could not prohibit abortion beyond viability, which occurs between 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. The 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey altered that precedent, permitting limited regulation of pre-viability abortions.
Surveys of American opinion on whether Roe v. Wade should have been overturned may fail to reflect whether respondents feel the Supreme Court allowed their desired abortion limits and policies prior to the 2022 Dobbs decision.
“Do you support or oppose the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs Wade, which allows each state to decide its own standards for abortion instead of a set right?” the Harvard / Harris Poll asked.
In response, 55 percent of respondents opposed the decision to overturn, while 45 percent supported it.
Rasmussen Reports, a separate pollster, said that 50 percent of likely voters approved of the Supreme Court ruling, with 38 percent strongly agreeing. Another 45 percent disagreed, with 38 percent strongly disagreeing. Rasmussen conducted an online poll of 1,000 likely voters on June 26-27, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The Harvard/Harris Poll polled 1,308 registered voters on June 28 and 29.
Individual states can now regulate or prohibit abortion after Roe v. Wade was reversed. Whatever their feelings about the Supreme Court, many respondents appear to agree with the Dobbs judgement.
A plurality of Harris Poll respondents, 44 percent, said that abortion standards should be determined by state legislatures. Only 25% said Supreme Court judges should determine abortion standards, while 31% thought Congress should.
While 69 percent believed the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling “created turmoil,” the judgement appeared to have little effect on declared midterm ballots. According to the Harris Poll, 36% of respondents indicated they were more likely to vote Republican, 36% said they were more likely to vote Democrat, and 29% said the choice had no influence.
Some prominent corporations have sparked outrage by stating that they will pay for workers to go for abortions. However, just a small percentage of poll respondents were opposed to this approach.
Approximately 60% of respondents indicated they favoured corporations that claimed they would pay for interstate travel fees for employees who wanted abortions, while 40% said they opposed this practise.
Other polls, like the Harris Poll, have revealed disagreement with Roe v. Wade.
In January 2022, a Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll poll found that more than 60% of Americans disagree with Roe v. Wade’s core holding, that legal abortion is a federal constitutional right. Among those polled, 44 percent said the Supreme Court should leave abortion up to individual states, while 17 percent thought the court should declare abortion illegal.
The news cycle has the ability to alter public reactions and self-perceptions on abortion policy.
In an early June Gallup poll, issued amid controversy over a leaked copy of the Dobbs decision, just 39 percent of respondents identified as pro-life, the lowest since 1996, while 56 percent identified as pro-choice, the most since 1995. Despite this apparent shift, a May Gallup poll found that 55 percent of Americans believe abortion should be ‘generally illegal’ throughout the second trimester.
Some pro-abortion rights activists are also undergoing adjustments as a result of current events and news trends. According to Kaiser Health News, many people today dislike the phrase “My Body, My Choice” because it was used by opponents of obligatory vaccination during the Covid-19 outbreak.