Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Want Roe v. Wade to Stand.

Byline: Megan Brenan

Synopsis: Twenty-eight percent of Americans think Roe v. Wade should be overturned, while 64% say it should not be.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As the U.S. Senate prepares to hold confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the public is strongly opposed to any attempts to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that made abortion legal nationwide. Currently, 64% of Americans believe Roe v. Wade should stand, while 28% would like to see it overturned.

The poll was conducted July 2-8, just before President Donald Trump announced Kavanaugh as his nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Many Democratic senators quickly voiced their opposition to the conservative 53-year-old judge and vowed to vote against his confirmation, based largely on his judicial record and his stances on a number of issues, including abortion and the Affordable Care Act.

Democratic U.S. senators and a handful of moderate Senate Republicans, including Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, do not want to fill Kennedy's seat with a justice who opposes abortion rights.

While nominees to the high court often do not openly share their personal views on issues, their past public statements are scrutinized. It is generally expected that Kavanaugh would oppose abortion rights. However, Sen. Collins has said that a remark Kavanaugh made more than 10 years ago about Roe v. Wade -- that it was "settled precedent" -- is encouraging to her.

The American public stands firmly on the side of upholding Roe v. Wade. Gallup has measured the public's views of the decision periodically since 1989 and has found majority-level support for keeping the 1973 ruling in place, ranging from 52% to 68%. The current reading is on the higher end measured.

In 2007, 2008 and 2012, the slimmest majorities called for abortion to remain legal -- but in each of those years, the percentage of Americans saying they had "no opinion" was elevated. The current reading shows the percentage of those with no opinion settling back down to 9%.

Partisans' opinions are sharply polarized, with 81% of Democrats, 70% of independents and 41% of Republicans saying they do not want Roe v. Wade overturned. In contrast, 51% of Republicans, 22% of independents and 13% of Democrats want it reversed.

While Democrats' opinions have been consistent over time, Republicans' views have been less so. For example, a majority of Republicans -- albeit a slim majority, at 52% -- said in 2006...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT