Poll: 71% of Americans Support Legal Limits on Abortion

A Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll released Thursday on the eve of the 2022 March for Life reveals 71 percent of Americans support legal limits on abortion.

According to the poll’s results, 49 percent of Democrats support limits on abortion, while 93 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of Independents support the same.

A new Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll shows that a majority of Americans support legal limits on abortion. Learn more: https://t.co/phVpXiHX8A

— Knights of Columbus (@KofC) January 20, 2022

Of those surveyed, overall 54 percent said they are opposed to taxpayer funding of abortion within the United States, while 42 percent support it.

Regarding taxpayer funding of abortion overseas, 73 percent said they are opposed to using tax dollars to fund those abortions, with 22 percent supporting it. Those opposed to American taxpayers funding abortion abroad include 59 percent of those who identify as “pro-choice,” 55 percent who say they are Democrat, 95 percent who identify as Republican, and 74 percent of Independents.

The abortion industry has taken advantage of the pandemic and the upswing in telemedicine by successfully lobbying the Biden administration to ease federal rules that govern the receipt of abortion-inducing drugs in the mail, for the purpose of at-home abortions, instead of at a health provider’s office.

Misoprostol, the most common abortion pill, sits on a gynecological table. Misoprostol empties the uterus by causing cramping and bleeding. The drugs are approved for use by the FDA up to 10 weeks of gestation. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)

The poll found 63 percent oppose the easing of these federal rules, while 33 percent support it. Of those who oppose, 43 percent identify as “pro-choice,” 42 percent as Democrat, 86 percent as Republican, and 63 percent as Independent.

Asked whether it is possible to have laws that protect both a mother and her unborn child, 81 percent of those polled believe it is possible, while 14 percent said laws must choose to protect either the mother or the baby. Among those who said laws can protect both mother and child, 76 percent identify as “pro-choice,” 79 percent as Democrat, 88 percent as Republican, and 78 percent as Independent.

The Left’s radical pro-abortion agenda is hopelessly out of touch with the hearts and values of working class Americans. https://t.co/0obFsVceK9

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) October 18, 2020

The poll also found that 75 percent of Americans believe healthcare professionals with religious objections to abortion should not be legally required to perform the procedure, including 67 percent of those who identify as “pro-choice,” 65 percent as Democrat, 87 percent as Republican, and 76 percent as Independent.

“When it comes to the direction of government policy, there has been consistency and consensus in American public opinion on the issue of abortion over the decades,” said Dr. Barbara Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll.

The survey has been commissioned annually for over a decade by the Knights of Columbus, one of the world’s leading international charitable organizations, and conducted by the Marist Poll.

Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly of the Knights of Columbus lamented the “tragic destruction of more than 60 million unborn lives” post-Roe v. Wade in a statement about the new poll:

As we await a decision in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, our polling continues to show that over 60% of Americans reject the central holding of Roe v. Wade, and want to return the decision to the states or make abortion illegal. Roe v. Wade was wrong when it was decided, and its legacy is the tragic destruction of more than 60 million unborn lives and countless wounded women. The time has come for America to turn the page on Roe.

The Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative surpassed a historic milestone this week, placing its 1,500th ultrasound machine through its signature donation program. Learn more: https://t.co/tIC5e6H49D pic.twitter.com/9776lvGLIZ

— Knights of Columbus (@KofC) January 20, 2022

The survey of 1,004 adults was conducted Jan. 4-9, 2022 via telephone on landline or mobile numbers using live interviewers. Results are statistically significant within ±3.3 percentage points. Results of the subset of 849 registered voters are statistically significant within ±3.6 percentage points.

How can pro-abortion supporters back late-term abortions when babies this young can survive outside the womb? https://t.co/6OSeq3eGMT

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) December 5, 2021