Americans support legal protections for unborn babies even at the earliest stages of pregnancy.
Though traditional news outlets and abortion activists claim otherwise, a growing number of polls show strong public support for heartbeat laws, which ban abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable outside the womb. This occurs at about six to eight weeks of pregnancy, and, if enforced, heartbeat laws could save tens of thousands of babies’ lives every year.
The latest poll comes from Missouri regarding a 2019 state heartbeat law that prohibits abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy.
According to the Saint Louis University/YouGov poll, 56 percent of Missourians agree that the state should prohibit abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy, including 57 percent of women. Meanwhile, 33 percent said they disagree and 11 percent said they are not sure.
In demographic breakdowns, support for the law was strong within most groups, including men and women, and all racial groups (white, black and all non-white).
Republicans (79 percent) and independents (54 percent) support the law by strong majorities, as do people of all income levels under $100,000. All age groups over 29 also support the eight-week abortion ban by strong majorities.
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Support was lowest among Democrats (32 percent), those with a post-graduate school education (37 percent), those who make more than $100,000 a year (46 percent) and young adults ages 18-29 (45 percent).
The results may seem surprising to those who follow traditional news outlets, but they are consistent with other recent polls.
An April poll by the University of Texas-Austin found that Texans support a six-week abortion ban. According to the poll, 49 percent support making abortions illegal after six weeks of pregnancy, while 41 percent oppose it.
In 2019, a national Hill-HarrisX survey found that 55 percent of voters said they do not think laws banning abortions after six weeks – when an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable – are too restrictive.
Other national polls by Marist and Gallup also consistently find that a majority of Americans want all or most abortions to be illegal. And another new poll this year from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that a strong majority of Americans believe states should be allowed to ban abortions after the first trimester. According to the poll, 65 percent said most or all second-trimester abortions should be illegal; the number increased to 80 percent in the third trimester.
This is strong evidence that Americans want Roe v. Wade to be overturned and unborn babies protected from abortion once again. Across the country, voters have elected pro-life state legislatures that have passed a record number of pro-life laws in recent years, including heartbeat bans and laws prohibiting abortions completely. However, states have been prohibited from enforcing many of these laws because of Roe.
In October, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a major abortion case out of Mississippi that challenges that precedent. Pro-life advocates are hoping and praying the high court will end the violent injustice of abortion and restore the right to life to babies in the womb.
