Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Barack Obama confessed over a week ago that he wasn't sure when life begins and worried the question may be a little "above my pay grade." However, a majority of Americans know when human life begins and they agree with John McCain, who said the starting point is conception.

Zogby International conducted the poll for WorldNetDaily and it questioned 1,099 likely voters from August 22 to 24.

The survey found 59 percent believe human life begins at conception, another 16.8 percent say it happens when an unborn child can survive outside her mother's womb with medical assistance, and just 17.2 percent say human life doesn't begin until birth.

The Zogby poll asked a follow-up question about whether voters would support or oppose a presidential candidate who doesn't know when human life begins. Voters, by a 55.3-to-27.7 percent margin, said they would oppose such a candidate.

During the evangelical forum, Pastor Rick Warren asked a question phrased in a pro-life manner by querying the candidates about when a “baby gets human rights.”

Senator McCain didn’t hesitate on raising the pro-life banner and said, "At the moment of conception,” while Obama took the road the Supreme Court did in 1973 saying it couldn’t know when human life begins.

"I think that whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity is above my pay grade," Obama quipped.

Nancy Pelosi recently weighed in on the contorversy, but her comments have gotten her in trouble with Catholic Church leaders.

 

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