Polls in New Mexico, Louisiana Show Majority of Voters Oppose Abortion

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Oct 26, 2004   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Polls in New Mexico, Louisiana Show Majority of Voters Oppose Abortion Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 26, 2004

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — New polls in Louisiana and New Mexico show a majority of voters in those states oppose abortion.

In Louisiana, some 31 percent of voters think abortion should never be legal, and 52 percent say it should only be legal in very rare cases such as to save the life of the mother or if the mother is a victim of rape or incest.

Thus, according to the University of New Orleans poll, 83 percent of Louisiana voters take a pro-life position against all or almost all abortions.

Meanwhile, a Mason-Dixon poll of voters in New Mexico also found a majority taking a pro-life position.

Most voters (46 percent) said they prefer tight restrictions on abortion limiting it to very rare instances or said they would prefer banning abortions altogether (10 percent).

Some 43 percent of New Mexico voters said abortion should be legal.

Republican state Sen. Rod Adair of Roswell said the pro-life numbers would be even higher if voters understood that abortions are rarely performed in trying circumstances.

"Many people don’t realize that 99 percent of abortions are done for birth control," he told the New Mexican. "Abortions for rape, incest or to save the life of the mother are very rare."

With the poll results and the closeness of the presidential election in the southwestern state — where Gore won and President Bush has a small lead over John Kerry — abortion advocates are working to get their message out to their voters.

According to an AP report, New Mexico voters that back abortion are getting recorded telephone messages telling them Bush "has devoted four years to dismantling a woman’s right to choose."