Large Gaps in Public Opinion on Contraception and Abortion

The Pew Research Center writes:<br><br><br>Most Americans say that abortion should be legal and that religious beliefs should not play a role in abortion law, but many also believe that an embryo is a living being and that more restrictions on abortion are needed.<br><br><br>The survey found:<br><br><br>* Almost two-thirds of adults in the U.S. (63%) believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 36% think it should be illegal in all or most cases.<br>* 61% think that religious beliefs should not influence laws governing abortion.<br>* 72% of respondents think that fewer than 100,000 embryos are frozen in the U.S., when in fact there are over 1 million embryos in deep freeze.<br>* 57% of Americans say that an embryo is a living being, but a smaller percentage (43%) believe that life begins at conception.<br>* Most adults (58%) in the U.S. say that the availability of abortion should not be influenced by beliefs about when life begins.<br>* 43% believe that abortion is morally wrong. <br>* More people think that Roe v. Wade should be reinstated (62%) than overturned (31%) or upheld as is (7%).<br>* Most adults (61%) say that the ability to get an abortion should not hinge on a person’s race or ethnicity.<br>* 60% think that abortion should be legal in situations where the mother’s life or health is in danger.<br>* The majority (57%) believe that the choice to have an abortion should be between a pregnant woman and her physician, not the government.<br>* 53% think that abortion should be illegal in most cases, except for rape or incest.<br>* Most adults (53%) in the U.S. support making abortion pills more accessible.<br><br><br>The poll surveyed 10,861 adults in the U.S. between February 21-26, and the results have a sampling error of 1.6 percentage points.