Gallup Poll Shows Change in Public Opinion Towards Abortion

Recent Gallup Polls show a shocking change in the public's opinion about abortion. When asked, "With respect to the abortion issue, would you consider yourself to be pro-choice or pro-life?" the poll results showed that 51% of Americans consider themselves to be "pro-life;" a statistic that has risen from 44% since May of 2008. In response, a minority of 42% of Americans consider themselves to be pro-choice, decreasing from 50% in 2008. This is a drastic change from the poll taken in September 1995, where 53% of Americans polled considered him or herself to be pro-choice, and 33% considered themselves to be pro-life.

Many other questions regarding abortion legality (in terms of overturning Roe VS Wade and creating more stringent laws) were asked and showed similar responses.

The real question is: Why is "pro-life" (in reality: anti-choice) now the majority? Within the poll of this year, 4% of the population didn't know what the terms meant, and 1% had no opinion.

The wording of the question can bias one's answer, such as is the case with the poll regarding late abortion. The question asked in 2003 was: "Now I would like to ask your opinion about a specific abortion procedure known as 'late term' abortion or 'partial birth' abortion, which is sometimes performed on women during the last few months of pregnancy. Do you think that the government should make this procedure illegal, (or do you think that) this procedure should be legal?" The poll found that 25% thought it should be legal, 68% thought it should be illegal, and 7% had no opinion.

If one were to solely take these statistics in mind, it would seem that the majority of Americans were against late abortions. However, this question did not include the circumstance under which most women have late abortions: when the life of the mother would be endangered by carrying the pregnancy to term. In 2003, 85% of those polled agreed that late abortion SHOULD be legal if the life of the mother were endangered, 11% still thought that it should be illegal (???), 2% were unsure, and 2% had no opinion.

So, finally, it is important to take into account how questions are worded, who is being polled, and current politics at hand. As a feminist, what do you think we should do to ensure a pro-choice America? President Obama being pro-choice doesn't guarantee a pro-choice nation, as much as one could hope.

Picture courtesy of openDemocracy

Best of the Feminist Blogosphere

I've spent a good part of the day reading the many articles and essays about Dr. Tiller that are floating around the feminist blogosphere. Some of the most touching, thought-provoking, and well-written:

On George Tiller and the Profound Power of Language
Megan at Jezebel writes about the power of words and the environment that encouraged Dr. Tiller's assassin.

The Circle Continues
RH Reality Check covers Dr. Leroy Carhart, the heroic doctor who is temporarily taking over Dr. Tiller's clinic.

Where will women go now?
Broadsheet at Salon addresses the remarkable scope of Dr. Tiller's good work, and wonders what will happen to all the women he would have helped in the future.

The Murder of Dr. Tiller, a Foreshadowing
Cristina Page points out the patterns of clinic violence and worries that there is more to come, at Huffington Post.

Patients Remember Dr. Tiller
Jill at Feministe compiled the recollections of the many men and women Dr. Tiller helped, some of whom would not be alive today without him. A must read for anyone who has ever had doubts of the need for late-term abortions.

Medical Clinic of Dr. George Tiller Vandalized - Again

Some sad news to share - the Wichita, KS, clinic of Dr. George Tiller, one of the country's few abortion providers that will provide late-term abortions, was vandalized not too long ago. The Feminist Daily Newswire has a story up about the events here - vandals evidently cut off outdoor lights and security cameras before cutting into the roof of the clinic. Additionally, with a forecast of rain, the downspouts were plugged up, causing the rain to pour into the clinic, causing thousands of dollars of damage inside the clinic.

Dr. Tiller has asked that the FBI investigate the incident, which resulted in severe damage and costly repairs. This event was the most recent in a long line of attacks made against Dr. Tiller and his clinic, Women's Health Care Services. The Feminist Majority Foundation is strongly against clinic terrorism and anti-choice violence, and we are saddened to hear about the most recent destruction at Women's Health Care Services.

To learn more about the history of attacks against Dr. Tiller and his clinics, click here to read stories out of the Feminist Daily Newswire archives.