Americans want a woman's right to choose

Poll: Record support for Roe v. Wade

By: Kevin Robillard, Politico.com
January 22, 2013 09:20 AM EST

Forty years after the Supreme Court legalized abortion in its Roe v. Wade decision, seven out of 10 Americans support the groundbreaking rulings, according to a poll released Tuesday.

The Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found only 24 percent of Americans would overturn the decision, which legalized abortion throughout the United States. The 70 percent level of support for the ruling is the highest since the poll began tracking it in 1989. Similarly, the 54 percent of Americans who believe abortion should be legal most or all of the time is a record high.

Only 9 percent of Americans believe abortion should always be illegal, but 35 percent believe the only exceptions should be to save the life of the mother or in case of rape or incest.

Alternatively, the poll does contain a sliver of hope for opponents of abortion rights: Nearly three-quarters of Americans believe there are some circumstances where abortion should be illegal.

(More here.)