Steve Benen is skeptical of a Gallup poll which contradicts other polls showing more Americans are “pro-life” than “pro-choice.”
I suspect, though, that polls like this are asking the wrong questions. These are the questions that seem to have the most policy salience in the debate:
* Some lawmakers and activists would like to see a constitutional amendment prohibiting abortions in the United States. Do you support or oppose such an amendment?
* The Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that women have a right to an abortion. Do you think the Supreme Court should overturn Roe?
It’s interesting to know how many Americans consider themselves “pro-choice” and “pro-life,” but there are plenty of folks for whom these labels are ambiguous. Some, for example, might say they’re “pro-life,” but don’t want to see the government mandate their beliefs on everyone else. I’m more interested in the two questions I pose, because they’re more likely to have a political effect.
Steve might be right that using these buzz words is a poor way to measure public opinion on the subject. Besides his questions, I have some additional ones:
Do you believe a woman should face criminal charges for terminating a pregnancy in the first trimester?
Do you believe a doctor should face criminal charges for performing abortions which are currently legal?
Do you want to return to the days of shirt hanger abortions?
Nate Silver and Dana Goldstein also looked at this issue and question the poll results. Regardless of the poll results there is considerable evidence that the trend is towards greater liberty on social issues, although it is certainly a possibility that there is a temporary back slide. Progress doesn’t come in straight lines.
