Majority of Americans Oppose Most Abortions, CBS News Poll Shows 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 11, 2005
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A new CBS News poll finds a majority of Americans oppose abortions in all or most circumstances. The poll follows on the recent surveys showing most Americans believe abortions should either be illegal or happen in a very limited set of circumstances.
When asked about their "personal feeling about abortion," 53 percent of respondents said all or most abortions should not be permitted and only 43 percent said all or most abortions should be permitted.
Of the 53 percent giving a pro-life answer, 33 percent believe abortion should only be permitted in the rare cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Approximately 15 percent only believe abortion should be allowed to save the mother’s life and 5 percent said abortions should never be permitted.
Of those 43 percent backing abortion, 28 percent believe abortion should be allowed in all situations while 15 percent back abortion in all cases but say it should be more restricted than it is now.
While 53 percent took a pro-life position opposing all or most abortions, some 68 percent of those CBS News polled said abortion should be more restricted than it is now. Current abortion law, following from the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, allows virtually unrestricted abortions throughout pregnancy.
A late July poll by Quinnipiac University finds 70 percent of those polled indicated they favored "a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion, 74 percent of the public favors requiring abortion businesses to notify parents before a minor girl can have an abortion, and 76 percent of Americans believe partial-birth abortions should be illegal except when necessary to save the life of the mother.
Meanwhile, an April 2005 poll conducted by Gallup finds that most Americans oppose most abortions. According to the poll, 59 percent of the American public say they oppose all or most abortions.
The CNS News survey polled 1,222 adults from July 29 through August 2 and has a 3 percent margin of error.
