Public Opinion Polls and Abortion:.(Brief Article)

The anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a Supreme Court decision whose impact remains undiminished 29 years later, not surprisingly persuaded the Gallup organization to revisit the ebbs and flows of public opinion regarding abortion. It did so in "An In-Depth Review" that appeared on its web site: www.gallup.com.

Roe v. Wade's cavalier treatment of the tradition of careful jurisprudence reminds me of how the movie Animal House portrayed students' attitude toward the "life of the mind" on campus: it mocked, derided, and generally trashed everything that was held sacred. But nearly three decades after seven justices ushered in the regime of abortion on demand, what do ordinary citizens think of Roe?

While the thrust of the Gallup overview is of the "stability" of views on abortion, there's been intriguing change and all clearly in the direction of life. If you read the entire report--not just what amounts to the executive summary--you quickly see it's a motherlode of fascinating insights into the public's mind.

The best news by far is that the American people's overall view is far closer to our position than the pro-abortionists': people believe abortion should be legal "only under certain circumstances."

The Gallup headline read, "Americans Still Not Content With Abortion Laws," while the subhead adds, "But majority would keep abortion legal." So, what does that translate into?

First, when the 1,015 respondents were queried in early January whether abortion policies should stay the same or change, only 39% opted for the status quo. Nineteen percent wanted policies less strict but 39% wanted abortion policies more strict!

Second, beyond that, nearly three-fourths of the public rejects the reasons for all or most abortions. The impact of the congressional debate over partial-birth abortion in moving the public in a more pro-life direction would be difficult to exaggerate.