American Public Equally Split About Abortion

The Pew Poll has published its latest results, dealing with gun control—beyond our scope here—and abortion. Given the politics of our rulers in Washington DC—which can only be described as pro-choice absolutists—I was surprised to note that the country appears evenly divided on the legality of abortion. From the poll:

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted March 31-April 21 among 1,521 adults reached on landlines and cell phones, also finds public opinion about abortion more closely divided than it has been in several years. Currently, 46% say abortion should be legal in most cases (28%) or all cases (18%); 44% believe that abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%). Since the mid-1990s, majorities have consistently favored legal abortion, with the exception of an August 2001 survey by ABC News/Washington Post.

The proportion saying that abortion should be legal in all or most cases has declined to 46% from 54% last August. The decline in support for legal abortion has come entirely in the share saying abortion should be legal in most cases (from 37% to 28%); 18% say abortion should be legal in all cases, which is virtually unchanged from last August (17%). Currently, 44% say abortion should be illegal in most (28%) or all cases (16%), up slightly since last August (41%).

If these polls are true, it seems to me that pro life people don’t vote based on their beliefs, or perhaps better stated, for many, the issue has a low priority as a deciding factor in their voting decisions.