Majority of Americans Oppose Federal Abortion Ban and Support Access Poll Finds

A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reveals that a solid majority of Americans oppose a federal abortion ban, with increasing support for abortion access for any reason.

Around 60% of Americans believe their state should allow legal abortions if someone does not want to be pregnant, up from about half in June 2021. This shift in public opinion underscores the politically challenging landscape for candidates who oppose abortion rights as the November election approaches.

Strict abortion bans have been implemented in Republican-controlled states since the Supreme Court’s ruling two years ago, with 14 GOP-led states enforcing full bans and three others prohibiting abortion after approximately six weeks of pregnancy.

Despite these state-level restrictions, the poll indicates that Americans are largely against national abortion bans and generally favor more permissive abortion policies.

Prominent figures, such as Vincent Wheeler, a Republican from Los Angeles, expressed the view that abortion should be available for any reason until the fetus is viable outside the uterus. Wheeler emphasizes the need for personal choice in complex situations, a sentiment that resonates with many Americans, even if it conflicts with the views of some within the Republican Party.

The poll also shows that 70% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, a slight increase from the previous year. People like Robert Hood from Texas advocate for national protections for abortion rights, recalling the dangers women faced before the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

This broad support for abortion access includes extreme circumstances such as endangerment to the woman’s life, rape, incest, or severe fetal anomalies.

National bans on abortion remain highly unpopular, with around 80% of Americans opposing a federal law banning abortion and a substantial majority against bans at six or fifteen weeks.

Despite former President Donald Trump’s reluctance to endorse a nationwide ban, there is still concern among voters, like Penny Johnson from California, about potential national restrictions if Republicans gain control in the upcoming election.

The AP-NORC poll was conducted with a representative sample of 1,088 adults, highlighting the ongoing complexity and nuance in American attitudes toward abortion.