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The U.S. Supreme Court is presently handling cases from Texas and Mississippi seeking to bypass the protections established by the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which confirmed abortion as a Constitutionally safeguarded right. Mississippi, in particular, is pushing for a complete overturn of Roe v. Wade, a case that will be thoroughly examined by the court in early December.
Against this backdrop, The Washington Post and ABC collaborated on a survey conducted from November 7 to November 10 to gauge public sentiment on Roe v. Wade and constitutionally-protected abortion. The findings revealed that around 60% of Americans support upholding the ruling, while 27% advocate for its reversal. In terms of political affiliations, about 45% of Republicans favor overturning the ruling, with 42% in support of upholding it. The majority of Democrats, around 82%, are in favor of upholding the ruling, along with 58% of Independents. Gender breakdown indicates that 64% of women and 56% of men lean towards maintaining the ruling.
BREAKING: Majorities of Americans support maintaining Roe v. Wade, oppose states making it harder for abortion clinics to operate and see abortion primarily as a decision to be made by a woman and her doctor, not lawmakers, new @ABC News/WaPo poll finds. https://t.co/GSCyE3PTLR pic.twitter.com/k676KNmBxj
— ABC News (@ABC) November 16, 2021
When it comes to abortion in general, 75% of respondents believe the decision should rest solely with the individual and their healthcare provider, while 20% think it should be regulated by the states. Given that Texas has a contentious abortion law, which prohibits abortions after six weeks and encourages reporting of those seeking or obtaining abortions, the survey also probed opinions on this law. Results show that 65% of respondents feel the Supreme Court should invalidate Texas’ law, while 29% support its retention.
