A majority of women living in states that have banned abortion want legal access to the procedure, according to a new survey.
An abortion survey released by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research group, surveyed 1,316 adults, about half of whom were women. Respondents resided in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. — including the 14 states that have banned abortion and 11 that have gestational limits.
In response, 67 percent of women living in states that ban or restrict abortion said the procedure should be legal all or most of the time. In states that impose gestational limits on when an abortion can be legally performed, 71% of women responded that abortion should be legal all or most of the time.
The results are not a big surprise. Previous referendums have shown overwhelming support for reproductive freedom – even in red states. But that doesn’t bode well for some Republicans who want to restrict abortion through ballot initiatives in November and beyond.
In Florida, voters will decide in November whether abortion should become a constitutional right. If enshrined in the Constitution, the amendment would overturn Florida’s existing abortion bans, which now stand at 15 weeks. The Florida Supreme Court upheld the 15-week ban last week, paving the way for a potential 6-week ban now supported by the Flordia Legislature.
The KFF survey also found that two-thirds of women in states where abortion is banned oppose a national ban on the abortion pill called mifepristone. This summer, the Supreme Court must rule on a national limitation of the abortion pill. The justices were skeptical about placing limits on the pill during a hearing in March, the New York Times reported.
If he regains the White House in November, former President Donald Trump has expressed support for a 16-week nationwide ban on abortion. It has so far remained silent on the possibility of limiting access to mifepristone.
businessinsider
