Editor’s Note: This appeared in NRL News Today on 25 February 2022. It would appear that those Democrats who are in favour of abortion have become even more extreme in their views.
“While a majority of Americans believe abortion should be legal under at least some circumstances, some polls have found that third-trimester abortions are more controversial.”
– Anna North, Vox.
Affirmative. It would appear that there is no poll in the known galaxy that does not find later abortions, and in particular third trimester abortions, to be a matter of greater controversy.
In a recent article for Gallup, Lydia Saad provides a summary of the findings.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Americans’ support for the legality of abortion varies widely when they are asked to evaluate it on a trimester basis, consistent with the pattern Gallup has found for more than 20 years. Six in 10 U.S. adults say abortion should be generally legal in the first three months of pregnancy. But support drops by about half, to 28%, for abortions in the second three months, and by half again, to 13%, for abortions in the last three months.
Alternatively, as the subheading states,
The general belief that abortion should be legal declines after the first trimester.
A 2018 Marist poll, as reported by the Catholic News Service, revealed that
Overwhelming opposition to later abortions. By a margin of almost three to one – 71 per cent to 25 per cent – respondents said abortion should be generally illegal in the third trimester of pregnancy.
What are the implications of this approach at 20 weeks gestation? A similar poll revealed that
Some 66 per cent of adults said abortion should be banned after 20 weeks except to save the life of the mother, while 18 per cent said abortion should be allowed at any time up to birth.
It is possible to cite a multitude of examples to illustrate the point, but the argument is nonetheless valid. The question thus remains unanswered.
One might be forgiven for questioning whether North is deluded. Is she so committed to abortion advocacy that she is unable to perceive the nuances of the abortion debate? Is she so caught up in the idea that abortion should be available for any reason, regardless of the circumstances, that she fails to recognize the ambivalence that many Americans feel about abortion, which intensifies as the pregnancy progresses?
If you are a Democrat, it is important to consider whether you wish the public to be aware of your stance on the issue of abortion. Do you believe that the termination of pregnancies in which the fetus is capable of experiencing pain beyond the imagination is acceptable, or do you consider yourself to be in thrall to the abortion lobby to the extent that you are willing to condone what is known as “passive infanticide”?
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
