By Dave Andrusko
The headline to a post at Rasmussen Reports reads “Abortion: Half of Voters Approve Supreme Court Ruling.” According to the survey, “50% of Likely U.S. voters approve of the Supreme Court abortion ruling, including 38% who Strongly Approve of the decision.” 45% disapprove, including 38% who disapprove strongly.
That most assuredly is not what you read elsewhere. Is there something different about this survey that you won’t find in other gauges of public sentiment?
Rasmussen’s abortion question is “The Supreme Court recently overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, so that each state can now determine its own laws regarding abortion. Do you approve or disapprove of the court overturning Roe v. Wade?”
This is simple but 100% accurate. The High Court ruled on the continuity viability of Roe and the conclusion was not only had it proven to be a mistake over time but Roe was corrupt from the moment of conception. The justices returned the abortion issue to the states—exactly the way Rasmussen phrased it.
Other details include some predictable results, but also some surprises.
It’s predictable that 75% of Republicans approve of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. (88% of self-identified pro-lifers approved.) And while 71% of Democrats disapproved, 25% approved. (78% of self-identified pro-choice voters disapproved.)
“According to Rasmussen, 53% of whites, 41% of black voters and 49% of other minorities at least somewhat approve of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.”
The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision was written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Decisions have a syllabus which summarizes the opinion. In a key paragraph, the syllabus reads
Like the infamous decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, Roe was also egregiously wrong and on a collision course with the Constitution from the day it was decided. Casey perpetuated its errors, calling both sides of the national controversy to resolve their debate, but in doing so, Casey necessarily declared a winning side. Those on the losing side—those who sought to advance the State’s interest in fetal life—could no longer seek to persuade their elected representatives to adopt policies consistent with their views. The Court short-circuited the democratic process by closing it to the large number of Americans who disagreed with Roe.