Poll: More Voters Support Than Oppose a 15-Week Abortion Ban

More Americans favor the idea of a 15-week abortion ban than oppose it, according to a new poll from the Wall Street Journal. 

Nearly half — 48 percent — of 1,500 registered voters  polled said they would “strongly or somewhat favor such restrictions, with exemptions to protect the health of the mother.” Forty-three percent of voters oppose the idea of a 15-week abortion ban. The results come as the Supreme Court considers whether to allow Mississippi’s law banning abortions after 15 weeks gestation to stand. 

“A total of 31 percent of voters said they strongly support a 15-week ban, while 17 percent were somewhat in support. Another 34 percent said they strongly opposed such a ban, and 10 percent said they were somewhat opposed,” according to the Journal. 

However, 55 percent of voters reportedly say they want “abortion to be legal in all or most cases.” Thirty percent say abortion should be illegal except for cases that involve rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger. Eleven percent say abortion “should be illegal in all circumstances.”

“There are going to be hardened people on both ends,” Republican pollster Tony Fabrizi said. Fabrizi’s firm conducted the poll with Democrat pollster John Anzalone. “But most people are somewhere in between and a lot of people pick and choose.”

Unsurprisingly, 69 percent of Democrats polled say they are opposed to a 15-week abortion ban, while 21 percent say they support the ban. In contrast, 75 percent of Republicans support the ban and 20 percent oppose it.

The poll results are similar to other surveys taken in regards to how voters feel about limits on abortion. A Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll released on the eve of the 2022 March for Life revealed that 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.

Another poll released by the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) in June 2021, after the Supreme Court agreed to take up the Mississippi case, found that 53 percent of likely voters say they are more likely to vote for a Republican candidate who supports a 15-week limit on abortion compared to 28 percent who would rather vote for a Democrat who backs unlimited abortion up until the time of birth.

The Wall Street Journal poll was conducted with 1,500 registered voters between March 2-7. The margin of error for the question about whether voters wanted abortion to be legal or illegal was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, and 3.6 percentage points for the question about the 15-week ban.  

The case is Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392 in the Supreme Court of the United States.