The Majority of Americans Want Abortion Legal with Some Limitations

Latest public opinion shows that the majority of Americans want abortion to remain legal in all and or most cases with some limitations. According to a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll of more than 900 U.S. adults conducted between May 31 and June 14, 2019, more than 70% of Americans want the federal Supreme Court to uphold Roe v. Wade, a 1973 ruling that nationally legalized as well as permitted abortion during the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy.

While a majority of Democrats want to uphold the ruling, almost 60% of Republicans and about 80% of non-partisan independents want the ruling to stand. A December 2018 Pew Research Center survey showed that more than 70% of American adults believe that abortion will remain legal in the next 30 years by the 2050s.

Even though the majority of American adults want abortion to remain legal in most and or all cases as well as identify as “pro-choice”, the poll indicated support for some limitations. According to the poll, 65% support requirements for women to wait up to 24 hours between meeting with a health care professional and the abortion procedure, 64% support requirements for doctors who perform abortion procedures to have hospital admitting privileges, and 52% support requirements for women to be shown an ultrasound image at least 24 hours before an abortion procedure.