Care Net Poll Shows Women Favor Ultrasound Legislation
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 29, 2003
Sterling, VA (LifeNews.com) — A new poll sponsored by CareNet, a national organization with hundreds of local affiliate pregnancy centers, shows that an overwhelming majority of women support a pro-life bill that would fund grants to pregnancy centers in order to purchase ultrasound machines to show women contemplating abortion pictures of their developing baby.
According to their national survey, 81 percent of women support the Informed Choice Act. Women who self-identified as "pro-life" and "pro-choice" support the bill in almost equal percentages.
Care Net President Kurt Entsminger said that, regardless of women’s views on abortion, "the vast majority agree that providing additional ultrasound services is worthwhile."
Support for the pro-life legislation also crossed party lines.
Nearly nine-in-ten Democrats (88%) would encourage their member of Congress to vote for the bill, as did 79% of Republicans and 81% of Independents. The pro-life bill has the bipartisan support of 42 co-sponsors.
Nearly nine-in-ten women (87%) said that it is important for non-profit women’s health centers to provide ultrasound services, including a considerable majority (64%) who believe this is a "very important" priority.
Respondents also said it was important for women considering abortion to view ultrasound pictures.
Over half of those surveyed (51%) said that was important and 31% claim that seeing an "image of what’s inside" would make such a decision more difficult.
Knowing a majority favor such information, pro-life groups say it’s curious why abortion advocates oppose the bill and want to deny such information to women.
"It is disturbing that groups like NARAL and Planned Parenthood, which call themselves pro-woman and pro-choice oppose services that almost all women recognize as beneficial," said Entsminger.
Finally, 54 percent of woman took one of three pro-life positions opposing all or almost all abortions, while only 39 percent took a position backing legal abortion. Two years ago, the same poll showed 48 percent took a pro-abortion view and 43 percent took a pro-life view.
Commissioned by Care Net, the poll was conducted by The Polling Company and included 802 registered women voters.
Related web sites:
Care Net – https://www.care-net.org
