Don’t be Alarmed By Warped Polls

Details: 01 February 2013

On January 22, 2013, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Wall Street Journal ran a story entitled "Support Grows for Roe v. Wade" featuring the results of an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. NBC News online shouted this headline about the poll: "Majority, for first time, want abortion to be legal."

Such headlines create consternation among pro-lifers. However, scratching beneath the surface of this and a recent Pew Poll with similar results reveals a warped, dishonest representation of Roe that always skews the results in favor of Roe.

In both polls, Roe v. Wade was presented as establishing "a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion, at least in the first three months of pregnancy." The polls then asked the question: "Would you like to see the Supreme Court completely overturn its Roe versus Wade decision, or not?"

James Agresti, President of Just Facts, said "[t]hat language is misleading because Roe v. Wade, along with its accompanying ruling, Doe v. Bolton, mandate that abortion be legal up until the point of birth if any one physician willing to perform an abortion says it is needed for ‘the preservation of the … health of the mother.’ Furthermore, Roe cites specific examples of what may be considered harmful to a mother’s health, such as the ‘stigma of unwed motherhood,’ the work of ‘child care,’ and ‘the distress, for all concerned, associated with the unwanted child.’

"Likewise, Doe v. Bolton, which was issued by the Supreme Court on the same day as Roe v. Wade with an order that they ‘are to be read together,’ states that ‘the medical judgment may be exercised in the light of all factors — physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age — relevant to the well-being of the patient. All these factors may relate to health.’

"Thus, ‘health,’ as defined by Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, provides broad leeway to perform abortions throughout pregnancy. In Roe v. Wade, the majority wrote that their ruling does not permit abortions ‘at whatever time, in whatever way, and for whatever reason’ a woman chooses, but they provided no example of a circumstance where abortion could be prohibited."

Mr. Agresti goes on to point out that the flaw underlying these polls "is revealed by a 2002 Gallup analysis of 146 survey questions about abortion posed by 18 different polling organizations. Gallup found that…’with respect to Roe v. Wade, the responses vary widely, depending on the information provided in the question.’

"Lydia Saad, the senior Gallup poll editor who authored the analysis, explained: ‘If Roe v. Wade is presented only as legalizing abortion in the first three months, support for the decision is much higher than if it is characterized as making abortion legal throughout pregnancy or for any reason.’"

In other words, polls that show a majority support for Roe v. Wade, typically misrepresent the radical abortion license that Roe allows. When Roe is accurately presented, or when the public is questioned more specifically about under what circumstances they support or oppose abortion, it becomes clear that a majority opposes Roe’s radical abortion license.

One such poll was commissioned by the Knights of Columbus and conducted by Marist Polls. A LifeNews.com article reports that the poll "provides more details about Americans’ attitude on abortion, with 83 percent favoring significant restrictions. The poll reveals that support for significant abortion restrictions has increased by four points since last year — rising from 79 percent to 83 percent."

More specifically, the Marist Poll showed that "10 percent believe abortion should never be permitted; 12 percent believe abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother; 34 percent would restrict abortion only to cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother; and 27 percent would limit abortion to — at most — the first three months of pregnancy."

The bottom line: public opinion polls consistently show that a majority of Americans oppose 90 percent of the abortions that are allowed under Roe v. Wade and its companion Doe v. Bolton.

You can contact Greg at The Nebraska Catholic Conference, 215 Centennial Mall South Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.