Article Summary –
A recent survey by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation revealed that a majority of voters in six swing states, including Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, oppose criminalizing abortion at any stage of pregnancy, with particularly strong opposition to criminalizing it after fetal viability (22 to 24 weeks). The survey, structured as a policymaking simulation, showed bipartisan consensus, with significant majorities of both Democratic and Republican respondents in Pennsylvania opposing making abortion a crime and favoring a national federal law protecting the procedure. These findings suggest a reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and highlight common ground across different political affiliations regarding the non-criminalization of abortion.
A majority of voters in six key swing states strongly oppose criminalizing abortion in early pregnancy stages, according to a recent survey by the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation.
Respondents in Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin opposed criminalizing abortion after fetal viability, typically considered between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.
The survey was a policymaking simulation, providing participants with briefings and arguments for and against the policies they were then asked to respond to. Respondents had options regarding who should be liable for obtaining or providing an abortion and whether or how severely they should be punished.
Participants were asked whether abortion should be a crime at all stages of pregnancy, after 15 weeks, after 22 to 24 weeks, or at no stage.
In Pennsylvania, 73% of Democratic and 53% of Republican respondents opposed making abortion a crime at any stage. Only 39% said abortion providers should be charged, while 72% opposed charging patients.
“The most striking finding is the large bipartisan majorities agreeing on the core question of whether abortion should be criminalized,” said Steven Kull, the director of the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation.
On leaving abortion laws to the states, 69% of Pennsylvania respondents preferred a national federal law protecting the procedure. This includes majorities of Republicans in five of the six swing states, excluding Nevada. Kull noted this likely stems from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which reversed Roe v. Wade.
Abortion in Pennsylvania is banned after 24 weeks, but there are many restrictions before then. Patients must wait 24 hours after counseling, only physicians can perform abortions, and Medicaid coverage is banned in the state.
“Though there are differences in attitudes about abortion per se, when it comes to criminalizing abortion, there’s a remarkable amount of common ground,” Kull said.
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