The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is scheduled to hear arguments in an upcoming case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, on Dec. 1. The case pertains to a 2018 law in Mississippi that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy. Pro-abortion advocates have vocalized that the precedents set by landmark cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey could be overturned by Dobbs. Furthermore, Texas enacted a law, S.B. 8, on Sept. 1 that outlawed abortion statewide after a fetal heartbeat has been detected, which generally occurs at six weeks gestation. However, a poll released Wednesday shows where Americans stand on overturning Roe v. Wade and where they stand on specific abortion restrictions, such as the ones imposed in Mississippi and Texas.
The poll, conducted by Marquette University Law School, asked respondents specifically where they stand on overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 SCOTUS case that legalized abortion in the United States. According to the poll, 20 percent of respondents favor overturning Roe. Fifty percent of respondents opposed. Twenty-nine percent of respondents say they haven't heard anything or haven't heard enough regarding the issues to have an opinion.
The poll pressed respondents further, inquiring if they support banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, as Mississippi's legislation would do. Forty percent of respondents favored upholding the law. Thirty-four percent opposed and believe it is unconstitutional. Twenty-seven percent said they haven't heard enough about this legislation to have an opinion.
Even more specific, the poll asked respondents if they support bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, such as Texas' new law, S.B. 8. Thirty percent of respondents favored the law. Forty-six percent of respondents opposed. Twenty-three percent have not heard enough about it.
"Views on abortion rights are sensitive to the nature of particular restrictions, as polling has consistently shown," the poll write-up states. The Marquette University School of Law survey was conducted Sept. 7-16, interviewing 1,411 adults nationwide, with a margin of error of +/-3.4 percentage points.
