Tipsheet

Polling Reveals That American People Are Not on the Side of Democratic Position of Abortions without Limits

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  May 07, 2022 3:15 PM

This week has been a whirlwind with the abortion issue finding its way front and center into politics, after a draft showing that the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked. It's also been a week to remind where people stand on the abortion, which is not with the Democrats.

As I highlighted earlier in the week, the NRSC released internal polling to support messaging that it's Republicans who have the winning position among voters with commonsense restrictions and regulations, while Democrats unpopularly advocate for abortion throughout up until birth. 

One such result from that poll found that by 55-35 percent, voters believe the "Supreme Court should allow the states to ban late-term abortions." The draft that was leaked applies to a decision for Dobbs v. Jackson, which is deciding the constitutionality of Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban.

It wasn't merely an internal poll released earlier this week, though.

Earlier this week, Fox News released their polling showing that by 54-41 percent, respondents support the 15-week ban. Further, a plurality of respondents, at 43 percent, want abortion to be "mostly illegal." The poll was conducted April 28-May 1, just before the draft was leaked. 

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Guy, in his reporting earlier this week, referred to the poll as a "Narrative Buster," especially as women support the ban more so than men do. 

There's still more. 

Last month, the Wall Street Journal released polling showing that a plurality of respondents, by 48-43 percent, support that 15-week ban on abortion. 

Polling released last June by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed even greater support, for more limits. Sixty-five percent of respondents said abortion should be generally illegal in the second trimester, and 80 percent said it should be generally illegal in the third trimester. 

Gallup, which regularly conducts polling on abortion, has found similar support for making abortion illegal at those points. 

Polling from recent months that was provided to Townhall by Richard Baris, the director of Big Poll Data, found that by 67.2 to 17.1 percent, respondents oppose abortion being legal in the last three months of pregnancy, while 15.7 percent are unsure. It's worth highlighting that women are more likely to oppose such abortions being legal, at 68.4 percent. 

Democrats point to how a majority of respondents do not want to see Roe overturned. A major reason for that, though, is because many don't know overturning Roe will not automatically ban abortion nationwide, as they have been led to fear. Rather, it will allow the states to decide their own abortion laws through their elected officials. I've addressed this in depth before. 

Michael J. New, writing for Live Action News, pointed out on Friday that "This week’s mainstream media polls on Roe v. Wade continue to mislead."

Marc Thiessen, a columnist for The Washington Post made a similar point, and even had a warning for Democrats, with "Watch out, Democrats. The abortion ruling may help Republicans."

Democrats would be smart to take such advice.

When asked by Fox News' Peter Doocy during Thursday's press conference, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tried to dodge directly answering as to if President Joe Biden supports any limits on abortion, and if he supports abortion up until the moment of birth. She instead emphasized how the president "supports the right of a woman to make choices about her own body with her own doctor." 

In other words, Biden doesn't support any limits, and he supports abortion up until birth.

Such purposeful vagueness and non-answers are a pattern. 

Doocy also referenced Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic nominee looking to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio. During an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, who asked him multiple times if he supported "any limits on abortion," Ryan answered "you gotta leave it up to the woman" and claimed Baier and he "can't account for all the different scenarios."

Another Ohio Democrat, gubernatorial nominee Nan Whaley, refused to give an answer to host Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press Daily" as to whether she supported any limits, even when prompted multiple times. 

In Texas, Beto O'Rourke, who is now running for governor, answered "this is a decision for a woman to make." He also falsely claimed that "most of us in Texas agree on" that point. Polling from last October, shortly after the Texas' abortion law went into effect, shows most Texans support the bill once they know a fetal heartbeat is detected at around six weeks. 

Democratic senatorial candidates in Pennsylvania, who are running to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, have been a little more forthcoming.

John Fetterman, the current lieutenant governor, was asked during a Democratic primary debate if there were any limits he "would find appropriate." He responded with "I don't believe so, no."

Another primary candidate, Rep. Conor Lamb, is quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer as saying that "if your right is a right, it’s your right the whole way through pregnancy."

Stacey Abrams is once again looking to become governor of Georgia, and reporting from Tia Mitchell with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted that "Stacey Abrams says leaked Supreme Court abortion ruling will shape her campaign." Mitchell noted when asked about limits that Abrams instead gave an answer about how it's up to women, their doctors, their families, but not elected officials.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who often touts himself as a pro-choice pastor, was asked by National Review's John McCormack if he supported any legal limits, didn't give an answer. "I support a woman’s right to choose," he said. 

Katie Hobbs, the Democratic Secretary of State in Arizona who is running for governor was pressed in a local TV interview about if she supported any limits. She was even offered specifics, such as 15 weeks and 24 weeks. "Abortion is a personal decision between a woman and her family and her doctor. And that’s something that needs to be discussed in the medical exam room, not by politicians," Hobbs instead went with. 

Not only is abortion not a major issue in the midterms for voters, but as Thiessen and Guy highlighted when pointing to a CNN poll, voters who are enthusiastic about the midterms are more likely to say they'd be happy with Roe being overturned.

A "Narrative Buster" indeed.