America is Now a Pro-Life Nation

A new poll by Gallup shows a stunning reversal in American perceptions on the question of abortion. For the first time since Gallup started surveying the country on this subject, more Americans self-identify as being "Pro-Life" than "Pro-Choice." And the turn around has been marked over the course of the past year. 51% of those surveyed now say they are "Pro-Life" whereas a year ago that number was just 44%. Those who declare themselves "Pro-Choice" saw their numbers fall from 50% in 2008 to just 42%.

So, what accounts for this sea-change? Could the election of Barack Obama have something to do with it? A staunch supporter of abortion rights who won in November by a margin of 8 million votes, it would seem unlikely that Obama's rise to power would coincide with a dramatic shift away from with "Pro-Choice" identification. Then again, Obama has played the abortion issue differently from many politicians of the past, attempting to find common ground with anti-abortion supporters, and striving to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.

But a deeper look at Gallup's numbers reveals that the real movement in the polling history is coming from Republicans and Independents who lean rightward:

The percentage of Republicans (including independents who lean Republicans) calling themselves "pro-life" rose by 10 points over the past year, from 60% to 70%, while there has been essentially no change in the views of Democrats and Democratic leaners.

This shows that there are certainly enough Republicans left in America to make a statistical difference.


David at Paradigms Lost
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