Most Americans Support Limits on Abortion after 15 Weeks of Pregnancy, Poll Finds
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Published
Dec 10, 2021
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A new poll shows that most Americans support limits on abortion after 15-weeks of gestation.
The Harris poll, which included support from Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies, found that about 54 percent of Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized abortion. However, the survey also found that most Americans support limiting abortions to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, The Christian Post reports.
According to the poll, about 46 percent supported a reversal of Roe v. Wade.
The survey comes as the Supreme Court begins hearing arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a case about the constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi state law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Roe v. Wade guarantees a woman’s right to obtain an abortion, and pro-choice advocates say the Mississippi law violates Roe v. Wade. If the Supreme Court sides with pro-life supporters, the Mississippi state law will be upheld, and Roe v. Wade could be overturned.
Under Roe v. Wade, women can have abortions within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. When survey respondents were given that information, 38 percent said they would let the court ruling stand. In comparison, 32 percent said they supported repealing the law, and another 24 percent said they would want it limited to 15-weeks of gestation.
In a previous survey conducted in June by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 57 percent of Americans said they wanted abortion to remain legal in all or most cases. Support for the legality of abortion declined in later stages of pregnancy.
According to that survey, 61 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases in the first trimester. An additional 34 percent said abortion should be legal in the second trimester, and 19 percent said it should also be legal in the third trimester.
Photo courtesy: Omar Lopez/Unsplash
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
