NEW YORK, May 15, 2009
More Americans Calling Themselves Pro-Life
Gallup Poll: First Time Majority Leaned Pro-Life In 15 Years
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(CBS)
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Interactive Abortion Debate It's one of the most hotly debated political and social issues in America. Review a history of that debate since the historic Roe v. Wade decision.
The findings, obtained in an annual survey on values and beliefs conducted May 7-10, marked a significant shift from a year ago. A year ago, 50 percent said they were pro-choice and 44 percent pro-life - in the new poll, 42 percent said they were pro-choice.
The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion across America with its 1973 Roe vs. Wade verdict, but the practice remains controversial and some states have tried to restrict it.
The new survey showed that Americans remained deeply divided on the legality of abortion - with 23 percent saying it should be illegal in all circumstances, 22 percent saying it should be legal under any circumstances, and 53 percent saying it should be legal only under certain circumstances.
The findings echoed a recent national survey by the Pew Research Center, which reported a sharp decline since last August in those saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases - from 54 percent to 46 percent.
Taken together, the two polls have elated anti-abortion activists, who had been stung by the November election results that placed President Barack Obama and other abortion-rights supporters in power in Washington.
"Ironically, Obama's radical abortion policies and nominees may have helped make America more pro-life," said Wendy Wright, president of the conservative advocacy group Concerned Women for America.
The Rev. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said the poll findings demonstrate that the anti-abortion cause "is a vibrant, growing, youthful movement."
"We are winning the battle for hearts and minds in our culture on the life issue," he said.
The president of a leading abortion-rights group, Nancy Keenan of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the Gallup findings "do not square with the voting patterns in the last two elections cycles."
"It would be a mistake for anti-choice groups to interpret this one poll as a signal that Americans want even more interference from politicians in their personal, private decisions, including a woman's right to choose safe, legal abortion," Keenan said.
Another abortion-rights leader, Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards, questioned the terminology in the Gallup questions.
"The terms pro-choice and pro-life no longer define the parameters of the debate, witnessed by the fact that in the Gallup Poll, a majority of people say they are both pro-life and that abortion should be legal," Richards said.
She added that most Americans share Obama's stated goal of reducing the number of unintended pregnancies.
Planned Parenthood also noted that another recent national survey, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp., poll in April, reported 49 percent of respondents identifying as pro-choice and 45 percent as pro-life.
The Gallup poll's release came just ahead of Obama's scheduled commencement speech Sunday at the University of Notre Dame, where he also is to receive an honorary degree. Those plans by the Roman Catholic university have sparked a wave of protests by anti-abortion activists, who contend Notre Dame should not honor a such a prominent supporter of abortion rights.
Gallup said its new poll showed an increase in the pro-life position across Christian religious affiliations, including an eight-point gain among Protestants and a seven-point gain among Catholics. It also reported a 10-point shift toward the pro-life category among Republicans but said there was no significant change among Democrats.
In the new poll, men identify as pro-life, 54 percent to 39 percent, while women also tilt pro-life 49 percent to 44 percent. A year ago, Gallup found more women calling themselves pro-choice than pro-life, by 50 percent to 43 percent, while men were more closely divided: 49 percent pro-choice, 46 percent pro-life.
"It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public's understanding of what it means to be 'pro-choice' slightly to the left, politically," according to the Gallup analysis. "While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction."
The Gallup survey was based on telephone interviews with 1,015 adults nationwide. Its margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
© MMIX, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 404 CommentsPosted by nolies74621
The problem is that you don't "question the immoral beliefs of others," you condemn them and try to ramrod your belief system into them. Have you ever questioned a g*y man as to why he is g*y? Chances are he won't say "Because I chose to be." Have you ever questioned a woman why she had an abortion? Chances are she won't say "Because I wanted to kill a baby." Have you ever asked a terminally ill person why they want to commit suicide? Chance are they won't say "Because I want to be buried in a pauper's grave outside the bounds of a churchyard." If you ever talked to people you might just understand what makes then tick rather than condeming them as immoral and trying to take their rights as US citizens away, not because their liberty infringes on you in any way, but simply becaause you don't like how they live.
I do not believe that abortion should be used as the ultimate form of birth control, but I believe that men should not have a say about how women treat their bodies.
I support the mother's right to life when hers is threatened by a multi-cell zygote that has no conciousness whatsoever.
I am against the death penalty - I do not believe that anyone has the right to order a human being killed. (No zygotes are NOT human beings).
I am against useless wars that result in the killing and maiming of thousands of our soldiers and hundreds of thousands on the other side.
I also believe that Jesus would not have the time of day for the right wing zealots who call themselves Christians today.
If this makes me a liberal - thank God for that. The term conservative in the political climate of today should be treated like a four-letter word.
Posted by katg21
katg21. You have to question the truthfullness of so called athiests that minimize christian beliefs. In todays society it is the norm to ridicule christians, but when a christian questions the immoral beliefs of others then we are haters. While serving in Iraq as a Platoon Sergeant, I knew of several athiests that vehemently voiced thier disbelief and disgust for Christ. These very same athiests non-beliefe system was tested early and often, and everytime we came under attack or someone in the Platoon was injured or killed there was a familiar name called out by many these athiests, Oh God why! or Jesus Christ what is happening. They will say that these are common words used in haste or it was in grained in thier minds from hearing others say it. Well the only thing I could say was with my eyes and that questioning look of what happened to your non-belife in God my friend?
Posted by katg21
People who claim to be godless are the first to pray to God when things aren't going great in their lives..."Dear god, please let me get that promotion; Dear god, please don't let me die..." They are poor pathetic fools who jump on the band wagon because they don't know how to do anything else. They obey the Dem party and everything it "stands" for, regardless if it's moral or makes any sense at all. All liberal Dems are simply DRONES...they plug themselves into the evening news with Katie and download the talking points for the day. Mindless drones without an original thought of their own.
Posted by katg21
katg21. Don't you just love it when people call you a zealot and as rambling to fortify your religious beliefe? They think it is okay to call christians zealots and misled because they believe in something greater than themselves, but when a christian fires back at the immoral beliefs of these name callers they call us haters. Well I have met many athiests and a few in war, but I tell you what, I listened carefully to those athiests as they FORTIFIED thier disbelife in God, but many of them cried his name when under fire or when someone in th Platoon I led were wounded or killed. They all asked God why as I looked at them and gave them that questioning look of where is your fortified disbeliefe now friend?
Note I am part of a church that supports crisis pregnancy centers and who now use ultrasound to show the real baby in the womb. this often deters women from having abortions
Posted by jmcgilvray
People who claim to be godless are the first to pray to God when things aren't going great in their lives..."Dear god, please let me get that promotion; Dear god, please don't let me die..." They are poor pathetic fools who jump on the band wagon because they don't know how to do anything else. They obey the Dem party and everything it "stands" for, regardless if it's moral or makes any sense at all. All liberal Dems are simply DRONES...they plug themselves into the evening news with Katie and download the talking points for the day. Mindless drones without an original thought of their own.
Posted by katg21
Ramblings from someone who is seeking fortification of their faith by mocking those who claim none.
I've lost a Father, Mother, and a Brother, not to mention a dog that I was VERY close to. Not once did I ask your God for help. It was what it was, we live, we die. We hurt, and we recover. LIfe is complicated, and we all deal the best way we can. More power to you if religion works for you.
Posted by katg21 at 4:36 PM : May 17, 2009
And that was quite a punchline to all those strawman you just rattled off.
It's bad enough that the neo-conned don't know a liberal from their gramma, but the sad part is that they don't know what conservatism is, either.
Posted by jmcgilvray
People who claim to be godless are the first to pray to God when things aren't going great in their lives..."Dear god, please let me get that promotion; Dear god, please don't let me die..." They are poor pathetic fools who jump on the band wagon because they don't know how to do anything else. They obey the Dem party and everything it "stands" for, regardless if it's moral or makes any sense at all. All liberal Dems are simply DRONES...they plug themselves into the evening news with Katie and download the talking points for the day. Mindless drones without an original thought of their own.
Posted by INTR3PID1 at 9:33 AM : May 17, 2009
Be sure and pick up some condoms not matter what your sexual preference. It ain't always about birth control.
Posted by Ichabod09
Yes. This anti-rights campaign originated with the Pope and carried further by Christian fundamentalists, an odd pairing, but true. Throw fox/rush gasoline onto the mix, and progress stops entirely in favor of endless raging fires.
Look, i can and have been ignorant, as well. But why did you cut&paste that part of my post, and not the constructive part?
Posted by actornaught at 8:56 AM : May 17, 2009
So you are saying the real abortion issue is one of religion?
Posted by cmixxx at 8:56 AM : May 17, 2009
Didn't you ever hear of birth control? It's probably a good you don't have offspring since you clearly have no brain.
Posted by Rowdy20 at 8:23 AM : May 17, 2009
But Rowdy, you ARE a murderer.
Even with that, there's reasonable ways to express their position, such as more help for poor mothers and campaigns to advocate adoption. I wonder how many babies have died because the desperate mother didn't realize she could leave it at a hospital or with the police, no questions asked.
Have you seen the rising rates of unwed mothers?? Ouch!!
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