Giving Compass' Take:

· Pew Research Center relays the results of new research from surveying public opinion on legal abortion, with most respondents supporting Roe v. Wade.

· What effects would overturning Roe v. Wade have on public health? How can donors provide support for Roe v. Wade?

· Check out this article about the consequences of anti-abortion policies in the U.S.


As debates over abortion continue in states around the country, a majority of Americans (61%) continue to say that abortion should be legal in all (27%) or most (34%) cases. A smaller share of the public (38%) says abortion should be illegal in all (12%) or most cases (26%).

The new survey by Pew Research Center, conducted July 22-August 4 among 4,175 adults, also finds little support for overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established a woman’s right to an abortion. Seven-in-ten say they do not want to see the Roe v. Wade decision completely overturned; 28% say they would like to see the Supreme Court completely overturn the 1973 decision.

Consistent with these views, a majority of Americans say their greater concern is that some states are making it too difficult (59%) rather than too easy (39%) for people to be able to get an abortion.

Partisan divides over abortion policy remain deep and the issue also exposes differences within the two parties, especially the GOP.

Democrats broadly back access to legal abortion: About eight-in-ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (82%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. A somewhat larger share of liberal (91%) than conservative and moderate (75%) Democrats say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Democrats are ideologically divided over how far protections for legal abortion should extend: Conservative and moderate Democrats are more likely to say abortion should be legal in most cases (45%) than in all cases (30%). The balance of opinion is reversed among liberal Democrats: 51% say abortion should be legal in all cases, while 39% say it should be legal in most cases.

Read the full article about legal abortion by Amina Dunn at Pew Research Center.