Poll Stats: How is it Republicans own the abortion issue?

[shockingelk]

Looking at American's opinions on abortion in several recent polls, two things are obvious: a) Americans don't want abortion outlawed b) A lesser majority are fine with abortion rights being enshrined in case law, as is (Roe v Wade).

First, asking people how they feel about abortion rights:

ABC News/Washington Post (Dec. 15-18, 2005)
"Do you think abortion should be legal in all cases, legal in most cases, illegal in most cases, or illegal in all cases?"

Legal In All Cases 17%
Legal In Most Cases 40%
Illegal In Most Cases 27%
Illegal In All Cases 13%
Unsure 3%

Translation: 84% think abortion should be legal in at least some cases.

CBS News/New York Times (Dec. 2-6, 2005)
"Which of these comes closest to your view? Abortion should be generally available to those who want it. OR, Abortion should be available, but under stricter limits than it is now. OR, Abortion should not be permitted."

Generally Available 39%
Stricter Limits 38%
Not Permitted 20%
Unsure 3%

Translation: 77% think abortion should be legal in at least some cases.

CNN/USA Today/Gallup (Nov. 11-13, 2005)
"Do you think abortions should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances?"

Always Legal 26%
Sometimes Legal 56%
Always Illegal 16%
Unsure 2%

Translation: 82% think abortion should be legal in at least some cases.

Pew Center/Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. (July 13-17, 2005)
"Which comes closer to your view? Abortion should be generally available to those who want it. Abortion should be available but under stricter limits than it is now. Abortion should be against the law except in cases of rape, incest and to save the woman's life. Abortion should not be permitted at all."

Generally Available 35%
Stricter Limits 23%
Rape, Incest, Woman's Life Only 31%
Not Permitted At All 9%
Unsure 2%

Translation: 89% think abortion should be legal in at least some cases.

Now, asking about abortion rights currently being enshrined in case law:

CNN/USA Today/Gallup (June 24-26, 2005)
"If one of the U.S. Supreme Court justices retired, would you want the new Supreme Court justice to be someone who would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade -- the decision that legalized abortion -- or vote to uphold it?"

Vote To Overturn 29%
Vote To Uphold 65%
Unsure 6%

Quinnipiac University Dec. (7-12, 2004).
"The 1973 Supreme Court ruling called Roe. v. Wade made abortion in the first three months of pregnancy legal. Do you think President Bush should nominate Supreme Court justices who would uphold the Roe. v. Wade decision, or nominate Supreme Court justices who would overturn the Roe v. Wade decision?"

Uphold 50%
Overturn 34%
Unsure 16%

Associated Press-Ipsos (Nov. 19-21, 2004)
"As you may know, President Bush may have the opportunity to appoint several new justices to the U.S. Supreme Court during his second term. The 1973 Supreme Court ruling called Roe v. Wade made abortion in the first three months of pregnancy legal. Do you think President Bush should nominate Supreme Court justices who would uphold the Roe v. Wade decision, or nominate justices who would overturn the Roe v. Wade decision?"

Uphold 59%
Overturn 31%
Unsure 10%

So, I'm left wondering how it came to be that the abortion issue is a wedge issue electorally benefitting Republicans.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[B Calm]

3. Republicans are followers and will vote for their party. Their

Anti-Choice wedge issue is to get the one issue, religious nut case votes!

[Kolesar]

4. The gops are stealing Democrats with that issue

Catholic Democrats, especially. The gops know how to keep that issue in the media, too. They have operatives in the Catholic church and other churches to agitate on it.

[shockingelk]

7. How come D's can't seem to similarly "steal" votes?

Pro-life Republicans are working with 20-30% of the population, pro-choice Democrats are working with 70-80% of the population.

"Keeping abortion legal safe and rare" is a theme that resonates the vast majority of Americans. I don't understand why that hasn't been harnassed in a big way.

[Kolesar]

15. I'll have to get back to you

school bus is coming.

[DainBramaged]

5. They only have one major issue, abortion, that's it

Family values, gone, smaller government, gone, reduce spending, gone, reduce deficit, gone, honor our fallen and take care of our troops, gone.

Trust, gone.

When all else fails turn the mindless who have no one to blame for their own plight toward someone else to blame, immigration of the brown people. That's going to be around for a long time.

It isn't a wedge issue, it's a phony issue like the battle for Christmas. And a compliant media who has become fat and lazy. If they got one thing right, it was the corruption of the MSM to bleat out the message they want to be heard.

Our hope is that the voting population converts a few American Idiots before November.

[Name removed]

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[REP]

10. What About Cindy Sheehan?

You think she is not honoring the fallen?

[booley]

6. for one thing..they confuse embryo with baby

and they do this on purpose. No one is in favor of infanticide. And few think that abortions should be done regularily in the third trimester without a good medical reason.

BUT most abortions occur in the first trimester when we are still talking about a clump of cells.

Of course, when repubs talk abortion, they say baby and to often the rest of us go along with it. So instead of a personal, complicated and painful decision that women go through which they base not just on themselves but on the welfare of thier future children..people are presented with a picture of millions of modern Medeas killing their own offspring for thier own selfish reasons.

And lest face it.. the latter makes for a far better sound bite.

They also depend on ignorance.... about why abortion is sometimes necesary, what women who do so really go through, and how the repubs own policies contribute to abortion rates.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

16. In MO, there are pro-life billboards, and they never show a clump of cells

but always a plump, blue eyed, white baby as they make their claims that abortion is "murder". I think one of the big problems with the pro choice movement is that the rwingers have led many to believe it is viable babies that are being "killed". I even know on winger who refuses to use the word "zygote" and insists on "baby"--I keep thinking if we had photos of what the "baby" that was "murdered" looked like really-a clump of cells-many would say, "What is all this (*&(& about a baby being murdered?"

[sandnsea]

9. Democrats are that "all cases" group

They're the stricter limits, rape, incest, health, or never group. So if you flip it that way, you see that Democrats are in the minority pro-choice all the time group. That's the way it's been labeled anyway.

[MessiahRp]

11. Framework.

The corporate media thrives on "panic journalism". By that I mean they need to keep the viewers scared or startled to prevent them from changing the channel. With Republicans they frame it as baby murdering.

Instead of disputing it or framing it in a way that highlights Government intrusion on your medical rights or better framing it as giving women a choice, not absolutely condoning it... the right wingers make Pro CHOICE into Pro Death, with is hilarious when you consider how they support the death penalty and war and seem to be the ones always crying out for an eye for an eye.

Rp

[Senator]

12. We can and must turn the "wedge" around

No one is "pro" abortion.

The ONLY question is whether you want to put frightened women and their doctors in jail or not.

Are they criminals simply because they don't believe what you believe?

---
www.january6th.org

[xchrom]

13. i don't think you can understand the ''abortion issue''

without understanding the history of the conservative movement -- which really begins with banning prayer in public schools and nixonian era characters like paul weyrich, bill buckley, the founding of the heritage foundation, the attack on women's rights{i.e. they were successful in defeating the e.r.a.], etc.

conservatives have spent 30+ years honing their message and doing some extraordinary heavy lifting when it came time to connect their various communities.

conservative intellectuals from catholics to baptists put aside their differences to go on the attack{most especially on women} and it was relatively easy in part because in the 70's and 80's liberals went to sleep.
but more important is that conservatives LEARNED how to frame their issues and go on the attack.
putting liberals on their heels{i.e. reagan, the equivalent of a used car sales man, gets the nod from the populace}.

if liberals want to get back in the game for good on abortion rights/womens rights or any of the intelligent concerns we have for society -- then we need the equivalent of a liberal revivalist movement -- one that captures the disparate elements of liberal concerns and drives them into a spearhead.

my two cents.

[Gman]

14. Democrats own the Choice issue

and it's a good one to have.

[shockingelk]

17. yeah, polls say

... a lot of people who call themselves "pro-life" as meaning "I'm pro-life for me, but others can choose to be pro-choice."

[jpgray]

18. Because most people don't believe Roe v Wade is threatened

People who support Roe v Wade therefore don't make that a deal-breaker when choosing a candidate to vote for. Those who feel morally obligated never to vote for anyone who supports Roe v Wade of course see it as a dealbreaker. In this way, an anti-abortion politician can net all of the latter group and not lose too many of the former. And, unfortunately, the latter group votes regularly and zealously.

[emdee]

19. It's a phony issue they use to get votes....

after the votes are gotten, the issue is forgotten.
Same thing with the gay marriage issue - anyone seen any sign of Bush trying to change the constitution? No - it was merely a way of gathering votes without any intention of actually acting on it.

Republicans utilize abortion themselves - does anyone doubt that? If Republicans actually did what they promised their voters, many restrictions would have already been enacted - their inactivity would be opening my eyes if I had fallen for their ploy.

emdee

[Touchdown]

20. Because our side won. Roe is law. Griswald is law.

...And like the Civil War with a few CSA utopianists, they just can't let it go.