More than half of Americans (55%) say medication abortion should be legal in their state, while a much smaller share (26%) say it should be illegal. About two-in-ten (18%) say they are not sure.
Wide partisan gap on medication abortion
Democrats and Democratic leaning independents overwhelmingly say medication abortion should be legal in their state (76%). Only 10% say medication abortion should be illegal, and 14% are not sure.
By comparison, Republicans and Republican leaners are more divided: About a third (35%) say medication abortion should be legal in their state, while 43% say it should be illegal. About two-in-ten (21%) are not sure.
This analysis is part of a larger report about U.S. attitudes on abortion, from a survey of 8,512 adults conducted Jan. 20-26. For more on abortion attitudes, read the main report.
Trends in public opinion of medication abortion
Since 2023, just over half of U.S. adults overall have expressed support for legal medication abortion. But the share who say it should be illegal has grown modestly, and the share who say they are not sure is now down somewhat, from 25% in 2024 to 18% in 2026.
This change is largely driven by a shift in attitudes among Republicans.
Among Republicans
The share of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who say medication abortion should be legal has held relatively steady since we first started asking about this in 2023. But over this period, the share who say it should be illegal has increased (to 43% today, up from 32% in 2024 and 36% in 2023) as fewer now say they are not sure.
Among Democrats
As in the past, Democrats and Democratic leaners overwhelmingly say medication abortion should be legal. Over the last few years, there has been a small downtick in the share who say they are not sure. (The shares saying both legal and illegal have ticked up slightly as a result.)
