Opposition to legal abortion increases at later stages of pregnancy; at 24 weeks, roughly twice as many adults say abortion should be illegal as say it should be legal

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May 4, 2022

America’s Abortion Quandary

Opposition to legal abortion increases at later stages of pregnancy; at 24 weeks, roughly twice as many adults say abortion should be illegal as say it should be legal

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Opposition to legal abortion increases at later stages of pregnancy; at 24 weeks, roughly twice as many adults say abortion should be illegal as say it should be legal

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America’s Abortion Quandary
Majority of adults say abortion should be legal in some cases, illegal in others
Majority of abortion rights supporters say how long a woman has been pregnant should matter in determining legality of abortion
Many who generally oppose abortion nevertheless say it should be legal in certain situations
One-in-three adults say both that human life begins at conception and that the decision to have an abortion belongs solely to the woman
Americans’ views of abortion, 1995-2022
A majority says abortion should be legal if mother’s life or health at risk; just one-in-ten say it should be illegal in this case
More than half of U.S. adults say stage of pregnancy should be factor in determining legality of abortion
Majority of adults say a doctor who performs an abortion ‘in a situation where it is illegal’ should face penalties
Majorities of Democrats and Republicans say abortion should be legal in some cases, illegal in others
Modest gender differences in views of whether abortion should be legal
White evangelicals more likely than other Christians to say religion is very important in shaping their abortion views
White evangelicals are generally opposed to legal abortion, while religious ‘nones’ are broadly supportive, but majorities across groups say it should sometimes be legal, sometimes not
Substantial support for legal abortion if pregnancy threatens woman’s health
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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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