Since Justice Anthony Kennedy dropped a bomb on the still shell-shocked Democrats after a series of conservative Supreme Court rulings Wednesday, many have asked in either hope or fear if a more strongly-conservative majority in the court would actually overturn Roe v. Wade (1973), which enshrined “the right to abortion” based on what is widely-considered constitutionally precarious arguments.
Though the constitutionality of an issue has nothing to do with public opinion, how would the American people feel about overturning the polarizing ruling? The Kaiser Family Foundation looked into the issue recently and found that a strong majority — almost exactly two-thirds (67%) in fact — would not want to see the decision reversed, while less than a third (29%) would like it overturned.
The amount of support for the ruling was about the same among men (68%) and women (65%), while more women of reproductive age (74%) want it to stand.
While a slight majority (53%) of Republicans would like to see the landmark ruling overturned, stronger majorities of Democrats (81%) and Independents (73%) would not.
The new survey’s findings align closely with a January 2017 Pew Research Center poll, which found that 69% of Americans supported the ruling:
More than 40 years after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, 69% of Americans say the historic ruling, which established a woman’s constitutional right to abortion in the first three months of pregnancy, should not be completely overturned. Nearly three-in-ten (28%), by contrast, would like to see it overturned.
Public opinion about the 1973 case has held relatively steady in recent decades, though the share saying the decision should not be overturned is up slightly from four years ago, Pew Research Center’s December survey found. In January 2013, 63% said this, which was similar to views measured in surveys conducted over the prior two decades.
A few more details from the Kaiser poll, which was conducted earlier this month and included 1,492 adult respondents:
The public overall is split on how easily they think women can access abortion services in their communities today – with major differences in perceptions by party. About a quarter (27%) say it is “too easy” for women to get these services, while one in five (22%) say it is “too difficult” and about a third (35%) say it is “about right.” Half (51%) of Republicans say it is too easy, while nearly four in 10 (37%) Democrats say “too difficult.” …
Most of the public (57%) say they oppose new Title X regulations proposed by the Trump Administration that would block federal family planning funds from going to organizations like Planned Parenthood, which also provide abortions, even though the money can’t be used for abortion. Nearly four in 10 (38%) say they favor those proposed regulations.
Related: SHAPIRO: Here’s What You Need To Know About Trump’s Top 5 Possible Nominees