Statement of David N. O’Steen, Ph.D.
Executive Director
National Right to Life Committee
National Press Club, Washington DC
January 22, 2009

Polls Show Majority Favor Keeping Pro-Life Laws

The newly elected Congress should not mistake the good fortune of Democrats, who were in the right place when voters blamed the economic turmoil on the party in the White House, with a vote in favor of abortion.

In a nationwide poll of 800 voters conducted by The Polling Company November 4-5, 2008, 34% said that “the economy and jobs” was the most important issue affecting their vote.  Of these, 68% (24% of the entire electorate) voted for Democratic congressional candidates and only 28% (10% of the entire electorate) voted for Republican congressional candidates.  This 14% advantage among “single issue” economy voters for Democratic congressional candidates was decisive in many cases.

However, among voters for whom abortion was the most important issue, the overwhelming majority continued to vote for pro-life candidates.

Five percent said abortion was the most important issue affecting their vote and of those voters 90% were pro-life.  When asked a softer question of whether or not abortion affected their vote 34% said yes with 25% saying they voted for candidates who oppose abortion and just 9% saying they voted for candidates who favor abortion.

In addition, two post-election polls showed that the majority of voters continue to oppose the current policy of abortion on demand.

The Polling Company poll found that 9% believed that abortion should be prohibited in all circumstances, 12% would allow abortion only to save the life of the mother, and 32% would allow abortion only to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest.

As opposed to this majority of 53% who took a pro-life position, only 41% believed abortion should be allowed for any reason and that included 28% who would restrict abortion to the first three months of pregnancy.

Almost identical results were found by a poll of 1,049 actual voters taken November 4 by Heart and Mind Strategies. In this poll, 53% again thought abortion should either never be legal (10%), be legal only when the mother’s life was in danger (12%), or be legal only in life of mother and rape or incest cases (31%). In contrast 46% thought abortion should be allowed for any reason and this included 29% who would restrict it to the first three months.

The Polling Company also found that 63% would oppose the so-called “Freedom of Choice Act” when they learned that it “would invalidate virtually all laws restricting abortion, including laws requiring parental notification” and that it would require using tax dollars to pay for abortion and make partial-birth abortion legal again.

A Zogby Interactive poll taken between November 25 – December 1, 2008 (n=2,481) asked if the Hyde Amendment should be repealed. It was described as saying that “federal tax funds may be used to pay for abortion only to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest” and that its repeal “would result in taxpayer funding of abortion performed as a method of birth control.”  Sixty nine percent of respondents opposed repealing the Hyde Amendment, including 50% of Obama supporters and 90% of McCain supporters.

Zogby also asked if “a bill that would force many employers to provide health insurance to their employees” should “require insurance plans pay for abortions when the abortions are performed as a method of birth control”—to which 71% said no while 20% said yes. Even 53% of Obama’s supporters said no as did 92% of McCain’s.