A poll released Thursday shows that the majority of Americans support restrictions on abortion. The poll comes two days before the anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973, which gave American women the right to obtain an abortion.
The Marist poll, which was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, found that the majority of Americans reject the central holding of Roe and want to return abortion rights back to the states or make abortion illegal. A current Supreme Court case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, could overturn Roe.
“As we await a decision in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, our polling continues to show that over 60% of Americans reject the central holding of Roe v. Wade, and want to return the decision to the states or make abortion illegal,” said Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly in a press release. “Roe v. Wade was wrong when it was decided, and its legacy is the tragic destruction of more than 60 million unborn lives and countless wounded women. The time has come for America to turn the page on Roe.”
On Dec. 1, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Dobbs case. Dobbs surrounds the constitutionality of a 15-week abortion ban in Mississippi. A decision is expected this summer.
Other key findings in the poll show that 75 percent of respondents believe health care professionals with religious objections to abortion should not be forced to perform the procedure. Fifty-four percent of respondents believe organizations with religious objections to abortion should not be required to provide insurance coverage for abortion. Overwhelmingly, 73 percent of Americans either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” using tax dollars to support abortion abroad, including 59 percent who identify as “pro-choice.” And, 63 percent of respondents oppose new federal regulations that allow telemedicine abortions instead of requiring women to obtain abortion drugs in-person through a specially certified health care provider.
“Our polling also shows that Americans oppose policies that divert tax dollars to pay for abortion here and abroad. This is especially relevant as the bipartisan Hyde Amendment prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion is in danger,” Kelly added.
Dr. Barbara Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll, said “[w]hen it comes to the direction of government policy, there has been consistency and consensus in American public opinion on the issue of abortion over the decades.”
The survey, which included 1,004 adults, was conducted from Jan. 4. To Jan. 9, 2022. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.