A new Teen Vogue article that claims abortions are “popular” is absurd, laughable at times, and just plain wrong.
The magazine, which no longer is in print, pushes a radical pro-abortion agenda. Earlier this summer, it told young teens how to get secret abortions without telling their parents.
The new article refers to Gallup polls on abortion over the past four decades to make its case. LifeNews.com and other pro-life outlets frequently cite those same polls. What Teen Vogue got right was that attitudes have not changed much about abortion over the years. Unlike with other social issues, the public still is pretty evenly split on abortion – but the Teen Vogue article did not make it sound that way.
“The truth is, though, abortion is largely condoned. One could even say abortion is popular,” it began. “And while abortion may become more divisive when you dive into party identification, many other societal markers show that the medical procedure and the freedom it allows remain popular issues.”
To back up its case, the article referred to a Gallup poll that has been asking the same questions about abortion for decades: “Do you think abortions should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances or illegal in all circumstances?”
According to the article:
When that question was asked in 1975, 55% of Republican voters said abortion should be legal under certain circumstances, with another 18% believing abortion should be legal under any circumstances. Only 25% of Republican voters in 1975 said abortion should be illegal no matter what. When looking at independent voters, these numbers were similar: 58% said abortion should be legal in certain conditions; 24% said legal under any conditions; and only 16% said abortion should be illegal.
In 44 years the numbers haven’t moved that much.
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The problem, according to the Washington Examiner, is that Teen Vogue “obviously doesn’t know how to read” public opinion polls. What the Gallup polling really reveals is that “most of the country begrudgingly supports legal abortion, but only in the first trimester.” Meanwhile, Roe v. Wade forces states to legalize abortions up to viability and allows abortions up to birth.
As LifeNews reported in June, Gallup found 60% of Americans take a pro-life position on abortion wanting all (21%) or almost all 39% abortions made illegal. That 60% figure is the highest percentage since 2009 and a dramatic rise in pro-life attitudes since the 53% Gallup found in its polling last year.
Meanwhile, the poll found just 38% of Americans take a pro-abortion position wanting all (25%) or almost all (13%) abortions legal.
Teen Vogue did make one important admission when it noted that the abortion issue is “not divided along gender lines.” Women and men oppose abortion pretty equally.
But the magazine’s overall assertions were misleading, and it’s conclusion was just laughable.
“Abortion may have incredibly vocal opponents, but polling that’s been conducted since before abortion was legal shows that reproductive choice was and remains popular,” the article stated. “Maybe it’s time for the national media to treat abortion supporters as the loudest voices in the room.”
As pro-life advocates well know, the national media is no friend to those who think unborn babies deserve a right to life. Interestingly, a Gallup poll provided evidence about this media bias as well. In 2013, it found that many Americans think the country is more “pro-choice” on abortion than it actually is – a sign that the media skews people’s perception of opinions.
Abortion is not popular. Killing unborn babies is not good, and most Americans are troubled by it. Even the biased media coverage, the lies and misinformation from the powerful abortion industry and other attempts to manipulate public opinion have not swayed Americans in 40-plus years. Abortions kill innocent, living unborn babies, and they never will be popular.
