California Supports Abortion, Wants John Roberts to Back It Too 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 13, 2005
Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) — A new poll reaffirms that California residents support abortion and also shows they want Supreme Court nominee John Roberts to back it too. California has long been a pro-abortion state, though its residents have favored limits on abortion such as parental notification.
A new Field Poll released Tuesday shows Californians want abortion laws to generally remain the same. Some 23 percent say abortions should be easier to get, 45 percent say abortion laws should not change, and 25 percent want more limits placed on abortions.
Pro-life advocates say the poll has good news because the number of people who want to make abortion more available has declined from 33 percent in 1991.
Some 21 percent of Catholics favor more limits on abortions while 39 percent of Protestants agreed.
The poll finds 60 percent of California residents favor legal abortion during the first trimester, but falls to 30 percent after the first three months of pregnancy.
J.T. Finn, director of Pro-Life America, a California group, says he’s not surprised that support for abortion is declining. He told the Stockton Record it is "a result of education on part of the pro-life organizations across America."
"As technology has become a tool for doctors and scientists, it’s also become a very powerful tool for educating people on abortion," Finn said. "We will continue to see the population of America be more and more opposed to abortion."
Meanwhile, 68 percent of California voters said it was very important that John Roberts, whom President Bush has nominated to replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist, agree with them on abortion.
Voters who wanted to either make abortion more or less prevalent were more likely to want Roberts to agree with their views.
Of those who favor limiting abortions, 40 percent want Roberts to side with them and 31 percent said it was somewhat important for Roberts to share the same perspective, a 71 percent total. Some 82 percent of those who want abortion on demand want Roberts to share their beliefs.
California voters will go to the polls in November to vote on a ballot initiative that would require abortion practitioners to tell the parents of a minor teenager that their daughter is considering an abortion. Polls show the vote will be close.
The Field Poll involved 426 registered voters and concluded August 29. It has a 5 percent margin of error.
