Democrats are talking about replacing Supreme Court Justice David Souter with someone who is just as strongly pro-abortion as he was.
That’s not “change.”
It also doesn’t match this recent Gallup poll: “Pro-Life” Americans outnumber “Pro-Choice” Americans 51% to 42. That’s the first time that’s happened since Gallup began asking about abortion in 1995.
About as many feel abortion should be completely legal as completely illegal (23%-22%), which is a big shift from a decade ago where the “completely legal” crowd outnumbered “completely illegal” by 34% to 12%. Just over 50% believe abortion should be “legal in certain circumstances” – what circumstances?
They followed up, and “legal under a few circumstances” outdrew “legal under most circumstances” by well over a 2 to 1 margin.
That showed a whopping 60% who favor making abortion illegal or only legal in a few circumstances, up from 57% this time last year.
The shift is among Republicans and Independents. Abortion views in the poll haven’t changed among Democrats.
What’s it all mean? While no majority exists for a complete ban nor abortion on demand, the country is leaning pro-life for the first time in a while.
“Legal, safe and rare” was the Dick Morris – Bill Clinton triangulation of the abortion issue, and it still matches somewhat with the current polling. The problem is no one ever made abortion rare.
With 60% of the country willing to ban abortions except in certain circumstances if not altogether, Republicans in the Senate would be on firm ground to fight a pro-abortion-on-demand nominee.
Obama wouldn’t nominate someone contrary to the views of 60% of America, would he?
