This week, the Trump Administration announced a new rule for organizations under Title X, the program which aims to provide women with affordable birth control. This rule states that an organization can no longer receive funds under Title X if they also encourage their clients to get abortions, a rule with which Planned Parenthood decided it could not comply with. As a result, Planned Parenthood left Title X, thus losing $60 million of taxpayer funding that they would have otherwise received.
This is just the latest in the long string of pro-life victories in 2019. Let’s not forget that it was just a few months ago that a slew of pro-life bills not only made their way through state legislatures, but also got signed into law by both Democrat and Republican governors. It is undeniable that the pro-life movement has a lot to celebrate right now.
With the passage of these laws and regulations, however, there has also been a lot of talk about whether or not they actually represent the views of the American people on the abortion issue. So, let’s ask the question: What do the American people really think about abortion, and would it be smart for Republicans to run on the issue in 2020?
The answer to this question is not black and white, as it is quite easy to look at two polls asking about the same topic yet come away with completely different conclusions. The reason for this is based on the way that the questions are constructed. There are essentially two different types of questions as it relates to the polls surrounding abortion: the specific and the general. It is important to note that what I mean by specific questions are questions about particular policies, and is not referring to statistical anomalies.
The Trend
The general questions usually ask things like whether or not someone would support an overturn of Roe v Wade, or if they believe abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in all cases or illegal in most cases. These types of general questions often elicit a more pro-abortion response.
In a recent poll, Pew Research found that 58% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal “in most or all cases.” In a recent NPR/PBS poll, they found that only 35% of Americans consider themselves “pro-life”, and, according to a 2018 NBC/WSJ poll, 71% of Americans do not support the overturning of the 1973 Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision which declared abortion a constitutional right.
The story, however, is far different when the American people are asked specific questions regarding their opinion on abortion. Instead of using general terms like “Roe v Wade,” “Pro-life,” or “Pro-choice,” these questions get down to the crux of the matter.
For example, according to Real Clear Politics, 65% of Americans believe that policy regarding abortion should be left to the states, or that abortion should be outright banned. Instead of asking about Roe v Wade, a term that is frequently used in soundbites, the truth is that when we get down to the policy, most Americans want Roe overturned.
This is true of the discussion around the legality of abortion as well. While a vast majority of Americans say abortion should be legal “in most or all cases,” as noted earlier, getting down to specific policies paint a far bleaker picture for the pro-choice movement. According to a recent Hill/HarrisX poll, most Americans do not believe that fetal heartbeat bills — which ban abortion at about 6 weeks — are too restrictive. 55% of Americans either believe that a 6-week fetal heartbeat bill is either “just right” or “too lenient,” with only 45% of Americans calling it “too restrictive.”
A 2018 Gallup poll demonstrates this trend further. When they ask general questions, Gallup finds that 62% of people had either a “very favorable” or “mostly favorable” view of Planned Parenthood. They also found that only 28% of people want to overturn Roe v Wade.
At the same time, however, the more specific questions elicit a far more pro-life response. Gallup finds that only 28% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in the second trimester, and only 13% believe that it should be legal in the third trimester.
Gallup also shows that extra restrictions on abortion are popular. As of 2011 — the most recent time these questions were asked — 69% of people support a 24 hour waiting period for abortion, 71% believe that those under 18 should be required to have parental consent, and 50% support a requirement for women to see an ultrasound of their unborn child before they have an abortion.
The trend is clear: the more specific questions get, the more pro-life Americans seem to be. This makes sense considering the fact the pro-choice movement relies on euphemisms to survive.
The Takeaway
While some may say that I am just pulling conflicting data points, and cherrypicking the ones that I like in order to support a preconceived narrative, the truth is that some questions more accurately reflect Americans’ attitudes on abortion than others. Using general, soundbite-frequented terms in order to measure attitudes on abortion is a dishonest way to go about getting the facts. The best way to accurately measure the opinions of Americans is to ask about specific policy.
The truth is that when one gets down to the heart of the matter, the Pro-Life movement is winning in America despite what deceptively framed polls show. Leading up to 2020, Republicans should not be running away from the issue, but rather, they should be showcasing both their attitudes as well as the radical attitudes of those who they face.
This is not the time to speak in euphemistic terms; now is time to get specific and represent what the American people already believe.
.png)
.png)
