Poll Watch: More Americans Pro-Life Than Pro-Choice

So says the latest Gallup poll. And, fewer think abortion should be legal “under any circumstances.”

A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves “pro-life” on the issue of abortion and 42% “pro-choice.” This is the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995.

The new results, obtained from Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, represent a significant shift from a year ago, when 50% were pro-choice and 44% pro-life. Prior to now, the highest percentage identifying as pro-life was 46%, in both August 2001 and May 2002.

The May 2009 survey documents comparable changes in public views about the legality of abortion. In answer to a question providing three options for the extent to which abortion should be legal, about as many Americans now say the procedure should be illegal in all circumstances (23%) as say it should be legal under any circumstances (22%). This contrasts with the last four years, when Gallup found a strong tilt of public attitudes in favor of unrestricted abortion.

Well, most Americans relaize that abortion is a grizzly, unseemly procedure that may be tolderated but yet is not easily accepted, except in some extreme circumstances like rape and incest.

Americans now know about the Planned Parenthood abortion mills set up in urban, inner city areas of most American cities which pray upon minority communities. Americans know about the partial birth abortion abuses and the abortion at any cost because of profit clinics.

Look at this poll:

Note that the legal abortion under ANY circumstances has decreased by 6 points over the year and illegal abortion in ALL circumstances has increased by 6 points. So, what has spurred the change? What is different in a year?

Answer: President Obama and a change in American abortion policy.

With the first pro-choice president in eight years already making changes to the nation’s policies on funding abortion overseas, expressing his support for the Freedom of Choice Act, and moving toward rescinding federal job protections for medical workers who refuse to participate in abortion procedures, Americans — and, in particular, Republicans — seem to be taking a step back from the pro-choice position. However, the retreat is evident among political moderates as well as conservatives.

It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public’s understanding of what it means to be “pro-choice” slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction.

When President Obama forces religious medical schools and hospitals to teach and perform abortions or lose federal funding their will be a larger shift and a public outcry of a loss of religious freedom.

Likely, the shift towards the public directing/demanding a more moderate abortion policy than Obama’s is being reflected in the polls.