by
Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 5,
2008
Washington,
DC (LifeNews.com) -- Exit polling data on Super Tuesday from across
the country showed a large majority of Republican voters in most states
take a pro-life position on abortion. The data showed Republicans
in western and southern states are strongly pro-life while those in
the northeast are more likely to back abortion.
Southern state exit polls show Republicans opposed to abortion by the highest margins.
More than three-fourths of all Republicans in Missouri (74-23 percent), Tennessee (75-22), Alabama (76-20), Oklahoma (76-22) and Arkansas (81-18) say they want all or most abortions illegal and take a pro-life position
No more than 20-25 percent of GOP voters in those southern states support abortion and less than 10 percent in many of the states want all abortions to remain legal.
Voters in Georgia join their southern counterparts in taking a pro-life position by a 64 to 33 percentage point margin and prior exit polls South Carolina and Florida show a 71-28 percent and 54-44 percent pro-life split respectively.
While pro-life advocates are historically strong in the South, they're also well-represented in the Midwest. Previous polls showed about 75 percent of Iowa GOP voters are pro-life and their Republican neighbors in Illinois are as well.
Some 64 percent of Republicans in Illinois said they want all or most abortions illegal while just 33 percent want all or most to remain legal.
Western
state Republicans also want abortions made illegal by a majority margin,
including in California.
Golden State Republicans take a pro-life position by a 54 to 42 percentage
point margin.
In Arizona, 58 percent of Republicans take a pro-life position compared to just 37 percent who don't while Utah Republicans were even more strongly pro-life with a 85-13 percentage point split.
GOP voters in the northeast are more likely to have a split on the issue of abortion. Even then, exit polling data shows those who say a majority of Republicans are pro-life don't find much evidence to back their claims.
New York Republicans are split 49-48 percent in favor of legalized abortion, and the split is 50-46 in favor of abortion in Connecticut, 53-46 percent in New Jersey, and 56-41 percent in Massachusetts.
Previous
exit polls show New Hampshire Republicans are pro-abortion on a thin
52-45 percent margin.
| State | Pro-Life v. Pro-Abortion | Always Illegal | Mostly Ilegal | Mostly Legal | Always Legal |
| California | 54-42% | 19% | 35% | 28% | 14% |
| New York | 48-49% | 14% | 34% | 28% | 21% |
| Illinois | 64-33% | 26% | 38% | 23% | 10% |
| Georgia | 64-33% | 25% | 39% | 24% | 9% |
| New Jersey | 46-53% | 16% | 29% | 34% | 19% |
| Missouri | 74-23% | 32% | 43% | 18% | 6% |
| Tennessee | 75-22% | 33% | 42% | 15% | 7% |
| Massachusetts | 41-56% | 13% | 28% | 37% | 19% |
| Arizona | 58-37% | 17% | 42% | 25% | 13% |
| Alabama | 76-20% | 32% | 44% | 15% | 5% |
| Connecticut | 46-50% | 13% | 33% | 30% | 20% |
| Oklahoma | 76-22% | 27% | 49% | 17% | 6% |
| Arkansas | 80-18% | 37% | 43% | 13% | 6% |
| Utah | 85-13% | 10% | 75% | 10% | 3% |
| Alaska | n/a | ||||
| Iowa | 74-23% | 25% | 49% | 16% | 7% |
| New Hampshire | 45-52% | 15% | 30% | 32% | 20% |
| South Carolina | 71-28% | 28% | 43% | 19% | 9% |
| Florida | 54-44% | 18% | 35% | 30% | 14% |
