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Abortion

reportMay 13, 2024

Support for legal abortion has grown slightly since 2021, with 63% now saying it should be legal in all or most cases. But 36% say it should be illegal in all or most cases, and partisans remain divided on the issue.

short readApr 11, 2023

fact sheetMay 13, 2024

Line chart showing views on abortion, 1995-2024.

reportJun 6, 2024

All

Abortion

Publications

reportApr 15, 2014

Global Views on Morality
short readsOct 29, 2013

After political and legal battle in Texas, a state-by-state fight over abortion still ahead

The legal battle over Texas’ newly-enacted law putting restrictions on abortions is part of a scenarioplaying out around the country, as abortion opponents have pushed new restrictions through state legislatures and abortion-rights supporters have challenged them in court.
short readsSep 19, 2013

Majority of U.S. Catholics’ opinions run counter to church on contraception, homosexuality

Three-quarters of U.S. Catholics say the church should permit birth control, about half favor same-sex marriage and just a third (33%) say homosexual behavior is a sin.
reportAug 15, 2013

Abortion Viewed in Moral Terms

Most Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue, but the public is much less likely to see other issues involving human embryos – such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization – as a matter of morality.
reportAug 15, 2013

Abortion Viewed in Moral Terms: Fewer See Stem Cell Research and IVF as Moral Issues

Regardless of their views about the legality of abortion, most Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue. By contrast, the public is much less likely to see other issues involving human embryos – such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization – as a matter of morality.
short readsJul 31, 2013

The new legal battlefield over abortion

Forty years after Roe v. Wade, the legal battles over abortion are far from over. In 2013 alone, state legislatures have enacted more than 40 new provisions aimed at restricting abortion access.
reportJul 29, 2013

Widening Regional Divide over Abortion Laws

Overview While the balance of opinion toward abortion nationwide has remained largely steady over the past 20 years, there are widening disparities in public attitudes on the issue across different regions of the country. Opposition to legal abortion is highest in parts of the South – including Texas, which recently passed sweeping new abortion restrictions. […]
short readsJun 25, 2013

As Texas considers new abortion restrictions, polls show complex debate

Abortion opponents in the Texas state legislature have been busy this week trying to pass a bill aimed at banning most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The proposal, which passed the House on Monday, is now facing a Democratic filibuster in the state Senate. If the Senate approves it before the end of the legislative session at midnight and Republican Gov. Rick Perry (as promised) signs it, Texas would become the 13th state in recent years to enact such a restriction.
reportJun 4, 2013

Cuomo’s Proposal Aims to Protect Late-Term Abortion Access in NY

After months of anticipation, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has introduced a proposal that seeks to protect access to abortion in the third-largest U.S. state. A new Pew Research Center analysis explores the details of Cuomo’s bill, which aims to codify Roe v. Wade in state law.
reportMay 22, 2013

Federal Appeals Case Brings Contraception Coverage Mandate Back Into Spotlight

Some for-profit businesses are joining religiously affiliated nonprofits in challenging the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, claiming it violates their religious liberty rights. A Pew Research Center analysis reviews the situation before a significant case is heard by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.