On Nov. 1, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments for two cases surrounding a law in Texas that bans abortions after fetal heartbeat detection. The two cases were Whole Woman's Health v. Jackson and United States v. Texas. The latter is the Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuit against Texas.
On Dec. 1, SCOTUS will hear oral arguments for the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, where landmark case Roe v. Wade (1973) could be overturned. A new poll shows Americans' opinions on SCOTUS overturning Roe and states passing legislation to curb abortion.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll published Tuesday shows that majorities support upholding Roe and oppose states implementing restrictions on abortion. In the findings, 60 percent of respondents supported upholding Roe compared to 27 percent who support overturning it.
When these numbers were broken down further, support for Roe was high among liberals (87 percent), Democrats (82 percent), people with postgraduate degrees (73 percent), those under 30 (71 percent), black Americans (71 percent), and women under 40 (70 percent). Among all respondents, 64 percent of women and 56 percent of men support Roe.
On the other hand, support for overturning Roe peaks at 70 percent among people who describe themselves as "strong conservatives." More than half, 58 percent, of "evangelical white Protestants" support overturning Roe.
When respondents were asked their thoughts on states passing legislation making it harder for abortion clinics to operate, 36 percent said they support this kind of legislation while 58 percent said they oppose it. The upcoming Dobbs case surrounds a state abortion law in Mississippi that would ban abortion at 15 weeks gestation.
A vast 75 percent of respondents said they believe the decision of whether or not a woman can obtain an abortion should be left up to her doctor. Twenty percent of respondents said it should be regulated by law.
When asked about Texas' S.B. 8 law, which outlaws abortion after fetal heartbeat detection, which is roughly six weeks gestation, 65 percent of respondents said that SCOTUS should reject the law. Twenty-nine percent of respondents opposed, saying SCOTUS should uphold the law.
Previously, I've covered other polls that have asked Americans their thoughts on overturning Roe. A Fox News poll in September found that 65 percent of respondents support upholding Roe. In a Marquette University Law School poll conducted that same month, 50 percent of respondents supported upholding Roe, while 29 percent of respondents admitted that they do not know enough about the issue to make an informed decision.