OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
One of the Democratic Party’s main campaign issues for 2024 just got blown out of the water, so to speak, by the results of a stunning new survey.
Democrats are often quick to tout that a high percentage of Americans want abortion to be legal, but they generally fail to say how many people want restrictions on it.
The party has made abortion a cornerstone issue in its 2024 campaign, but a new survey has done serious damage to that message if Republicans are able to capitalize and learn how to message it.
The new national poll done by Marist University showed that two-thirds of Americans favor pro-life laws that place limits on abortions, Off The Press reported.
“The 2024 Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll results indicate that 66% of Americans support placing legal limits on abortion, while nearly 6 in 10 support limiting abortions during the first three months of pregnancy,” the report said.
“The survey, conducted by the Marist Poll, also found that 83% of Americans support pregnancy resource centers, which offer support to mothers both during and after their pregnancy. Additionally, the poll found that two-thirds of Americans believe healthcare professionals with religious objections to abortions should not be legally required to perform them,” Off The Press said.
“This new poll has given insight into the American people’s stance on abortion laws after the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision. The Marist Poll discovered that most Americans believe abortion should be significantly limited, but with exceptions, such as in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother,” it said.
The poll did show that a plurality of Americans are in favor of pregnancy centers that provide assistance to mothers in need.
And 86 percent of those who responded said that they believe laws can be crafted to protect both the mother and the unborn baby.
“Once again, most Americans are steadfast in their belief that abortion should be significantly limited, yet laws should include exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother,” Dr. Barbara L. Carvalho, Director of the Marist Poll, said. “This clear trend found in the annual Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll has continued, nearly two years after the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs decision.”
“This year’s poll makes clear that a consistent consensus of Americans supports legal restrictions on abortion, and an overwhelming majority support pregnancy resource centers, which assist mothers and their children in greatest need,” Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly said. “I’m very proud that our Knights across the U.S. and Canada have raised more than $7 million to support these vital centers through our ASAP, or Aid and Support After Pregnancy program. Knights have also funded the purchase of over 1,790 ultrasounds, empowering an estimated 1.5 million mothers to see their unborn babies. The Knights of Columbus will continue to work tirelessly in our mission until abortion becomes unthinkable.”
The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld the state’s ban on abortion in October, despite claims by doctors and advocacy groups that the law was unconstitutional because it was passed by the Georgia legislature in 2019, three years before Roe v. Wade was overturned by the United States Supreme Court.
The ruling upholds the state’s ban on abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, by which time most women have no idea they are pregnant. Since the ruling, most abortions in North Carolina have been banned after 12 weeks of pregnancy; in South Carolina, they have been banned after 6 weeks; and in Florida, they have been banned after 12 weeks, pending a legal challenge.
This effectively makes abortion largely inaccessible in the Deep South, forcing women to travel further to access care, to states like Virginia or Illinois.
