Survey Indicates Majority Backing for Roe v. Wade Decision

The ongoing hearings at the United States Supreme Court involving Texas and Mississippi lawmakers aim to find ways to circumvent the safeguards established by the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which recognized abortion as a constitutionally protected right. Mississippi has specifically urged the court to annul Roe v. Wade completely, with the case being scheduled for detailed examination at the start of December.

Given these ongoing legal proceedings, The Washington Post and ABC collaborated on a survey conducted from November 7 to November 10 to gauge public sentiment towards Roe v. Wade and constitutionally protected abortion. As per their results, around 60% of the populace support upholding the ruling, while 27% advocate for its reversal. Looking at the breakdown by political affiliation, approximately 45% of Republicans favor overturning the ruling, while 42% endorse its maintenance. In contrast, a significant 82% of Democrats prefer upholding the ruling, as do 58% of Independents. Gender-wise, the survey found that 64% of women and 56% of men leaned towards backing the ruling.

BREAKING: A majority of Americans are in favor of upholding Roe v. Wade, reject efforts by states to increase restrictions on abortion clinics, and view abortion primarily as a decision within the purview of a woman and her doctor, rather than lawmakers, reveals a new @ABC News/WaPo poll. https://t.co/GSCyE3PTLR pic.twitter.com/k676KNmBxj

— ABC News (@ABC) November 16, 2021

Regarding abortion more broadly, 75% of survey participants expressed the belief that decisions in this realm should be the exclusive prerogative of the affected individual and their medical practitioner, whereas 20% felt it should come under state regulation. With Texas’ controversial abortion law being a significant factor in its case brought to the Supreme Court, which prohibits abortions after six weeks and empowers citizens to report abortion seekers, the survey also delved into sentiments towards this law. The findings indicated that 65% of respondents felt the Supreme Court should invalidate Texas’ law, while 29% favored maintaining it as is.