Political views on abortion

Abortion has emerged as an issue in the 2012 presidential race, following Missouri GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin’s controversial comments about abortion and “legitimate rape.” In recent years, narrow majorities of the public have consistently said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The Democratic Party is widely favored over the GOP on the issue of abortion. At the same time, however, abortion is viewed as a much more important issue by voters opposed to legal abortion than by its supporters.

Republicans are divided over the extent to which abortion should be illegal: 22% say it should be illegal in all cases while 35% say it should be illegal in most cases.

There is no consensus among Democrats either: 26% say abortion should be legal in all cases and 39% in most cases.

And in July, Barack Obama held a comparable advantage over Mitt Romney as the candidate best able to reflect people’s views on social issues like abortion and gay rights: 50% said Obama could do the best job of reflecting people’s views on these issues; just 36% said Romney could do best.

Narrow majorities of both women (55%) and men (51%) say that abortions should be legal in all or most cases.

However, women voters favor the Democrats on abortion by 52% to 32%. And Obama’s lead over Romney is about as large on social issues like abortion and gay rights (53% to 32%). Men side with the Democrats and Obama by 10 points and six points, respectively.

Women also are more likely than men to view abortion as a top voting issue. In April, 44% of women said that the issue of abortion would be very important in their decision about who to vote for. Only about a third of men (34%) said that abortion would be very important to their vote.

By contrast, just a third of those who favor legal abortion in all cases, and just 22% who say it should be legal in most cases, rate abortion as very important to their vote. About four-in-ten voters in each group (44% legal in all cases, 42% legal in most) say abortion will be not at all important in their decision about whom to vote for.

Among opponents of legal abortion, large majorities of both women (64%) and men (59%) say the issue will be very important to their vote. But among supporters of legal abortion, more women than men say it will be very important (34% vs. 19%).

You might also like
Mitt Romney and His Views on Social and Political Issues
Mitt Romney and His Views on Social and Political Issues
Political Views On Rice
Political Views On Rice
Why U.S. Views on Abortion Haven’t Changed Much
Why U.S. Views on Abortion Haven’t Changed Much
Mitt Romney Abortion Views
Mitt Romney Abortion Views
Views on abortion in US: regional differences grow wider
Views on abortion in US: regional differences grow wider ...
Fire Building + My Views On Communism, Abortion, the Death
Fire Building + My Views On Communism, Abortion, the Death ...
Antiabortion imperative more complex than acknowledged: John Allen: bishops' views on abortion.(CATHOLIC VOTE): An article from: National Catholic Reporter
Book (National Catholic Reporter)
"What We Know".(the National Right to Life Committee looks at the presidential candidates views on abortion and the right to life, together with their ... An article from: National Right to Life News
Book (National Right to Life Committee, Inc.)
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan - Extreme Views on Abortion and
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan - Extreme Views on Abortion and ...
Netlord80 on Socio-Political Issues Part 2: Abortion
Netlord80 on Socio-Political Issues Part 2: Abortion
Related Posts