A new Wall Street Journal poll shows more Americans are getting behind six-week abortion bans like the one that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed into law in the Sunshine State.
When asked if they favored or opposed banning all abortions after six weeks except in the cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother, 41% of respondents supported the six-week abortion ban. The results indicate Americans have moved further toward the pro-life position, and cast doubt on claims that such a stance will hurt conservatives in national elections.
“At no point in the history of Gallup’s polling on this issue did it find 41 support for a ban on abortion before twelve weeks,” Charles W. Cooke of National Review pointed out, noting Gallup had asked that question of respondents for years, and roughly two-thirds of Americans had typically thought that abortion should be legal in the first trimester.
“If we average out the responses that Gallup obtained between July 1996 and May 2022 … we see 64 percent of Americans believing that ‘abortion should generally be legal’ ‘in the first three months of pregnancy,’” Cooke noted.
DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a 2024 White House bid in the near future, signed a six-week abortion ban into law last week, prompting some critics to say he could have hurt his presidential prospects.
But Cooke noted, “If, indeed, more than four in ten Americans now support bans at six weeks — half of the previous threshold — then the Overton Window has been shifted and we’re into a whole new phase of the debate.”
It is not clear how the stance might affect a presidential campaign in swing states, where support for abortion is higher. But DeSantis, a devout Catholic and longtime pro-lifer, did not seem to have polls on his mind when he signed the Heartbeat Protection Act into law.
“We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “I applaud the Legislature for passing the Heartbeat Protection Act that expands pro-life protections and provides additional resources for young mothers and families.”
The move was well-received in Florida.
“This historic day marks an enormous victory in the battle for human rights,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser stated. “No longer will Florida account for 10% of abortions in the nation or be known as an abortion destination. More moms who need financial and emotional support will get the help they need during pregnancy and after their child is born. Most of all, tens of thousands of precious boys and girls will live and have the opportunity to pursue their dreams, bless the lives of others, and enhance Florida’s communities.”
Other GOP governors who have signed a heartbeat bill into law include Georgia’s Brian Kemp, six months before defeating Stacey Abrams, and Ohio governor Mike DeWine, who won reelection by 25 points.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a fetal heartbeat bill in 2018, but it was blocked by a district court and never enforced. This month Reynolds asked the Iowa Supreme Court Tuesday to reinstate the law and permit the state to enforce it.