Near-record 55 percent support abortion rights: Survey

Fifty-five percent of people said in a new survey said that pregnant women should be allowed to obtain a legal abortion if they want one for any reason, marking one of the highest shows of support on the issue since the 1970s. 

The new Wall Street Journal-NORC at the University of Chicago poll found 77 percent of Democrats said they support access to abortion for any reason, up from 52 percent in 2016. 

Only one-third of Republicans said that they backed access to abortion for any reason, according to the Journal. 

However, the poll found widespread support for access to abortion in the cases of rape, incest and the health of the woman. Eighty-six percent of respondents said they supported access to abortion in instances of rape or incest, and 89 percent support it when a woman’s health is endangered by the pregnancy, the Journal reported. 

Abortion rights have become a top issue for voters since the Supreme Court last year overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that protected the constitutional right to abortion. This led multiple GOP-led states to implement or enact their own abortion bans and restrictions. 

However, the ruling also prompted some states to codify the right to the procedure in their constitutions. Ohio became the latest state to do so this year, with more than 56 percent of voters backing a proposed constitutional amendment that would protect access to abortion up until fetal viability, with exceptions for the life and health of the patient beyond that point.

The poll surveyed 1,163 registered voters from Oct. 19 to 24 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.