A new Gallup poll on abortion has been released. What's funny is that both sides in the abortion debate are claiming support from the poll's results.
On the pro-choice side, 47% of respondents claim that abortion is morally acceptable, which is the highest it's ever been. But 46% of respondents believe abortion is morally wrong, which is not the lowest percentage it has ever been.
There's a predictable split along party lines, but interestingly, the independents are moving over time in the direction of the pro-choice position--which says something about where the defections are coming from (likely, the Democrats).
The sex split is interesting, too: 52% of women identify as pro-choice and 43% identify as pro-life. Among the men, 45% identify as pro-choice, and 50% identify as pro-life.
55% of those who are not college graduates see themselves as pro-life, while only 32% of the college-educated see themselves as pro-life.
45% of Americans feel abortion should be legal under any or most conditions, but 52% believe abortion should only be legal in few situations or in no situations at all. The plurality of 33%--that is, highest of all these categories (all, most, few, none)--believes abortion should only be legal in a few situations. 32% believe abortion should be legal in all cases.
Such an even split! No wonder this issue continues to rankle the American political scene. The action is now at the state level, and the legal divide between red and blue states is growing on the issue of abortion.
I have always felt the CoJC position makes sense. There are clearly cases where to have any respect for the mother at all, one must allow abortion--rape, incest, life of the mother, death of the fetus, grave health consequences to the mother, etc. But barring such circumstances, surely the fetus has the right to life on a par with the mother? A plurality of Americans agree, but extremists on both sides of the aisle apparently cannot see that there are two parties involved. Each sees only one: one side sees only the mother; the other side sees only the fetus.
And, of course, the debate over abortion totally avoids the elephant in the room--men. Let's face it, sperm causes abortion. Until and unless we hold men accountable for abortion, there will continue to be abortion. Would the Left and the Right agree to throw a man in jail who had caused an abortion by his ejaculation? If not, we will never get to the root of the problem.