NRL News
Page 9
January 2011
Volume 38
Issue 1

Polls Show Widespread Public Support for
Pro-Life Legislative Initiatives Outlined at NRLC Conference

By David N. O’Steen, Ph.D.

Editor’s note. This analysis was part of NRLC’s State Legislative Strategy Conference which took place December 7. For more on the conference, see back cover.

Both the election held this past November 2 and public opinion polls show that there is widespread public support for pro-life legislation that will be sponsored by National Right to Life and its state affiliates in the upcoming state legislative sessions.

In addition to the gain of as many as six pro-life votes in the U.S. Senate (depending on the issue) and over 50 pro-life votes in the U.S. House (again depending on the issue), there were very significant pro-life gains in statehouses and legislatures across the country. For example, in 13 states the governorship went from pro-abortion to pro-life and there was a net gain of 11 pro-life governorships. As of this January, 29 states have pro-life governors.

This didn’t happen by accident. Abortion affects the vote of a significant portion of the electorate and the vast majority of those voters vote pro-life.

A national post-election poll conducted on November 2 by The Polling Company found that 30% of voters said that abortion affected their vote. Of that 30%, 22% said they voted for candidates who opposed abortion as opposed to 8% who voted for pro-abortion candidates. This yielded a 14% advantage for pro-life candidates, more than enough to swing many close races.

To achieve such results National Right to Life PAC worked to make sure pro-life voters learned where the candidates stood, got to the polls, and voted pro-life. The Polling Company found that 24% of voters recalled “hearing or seeing any advertising, receiving any information in the mail, receiving any literature, or receiving a telephone call from the National Right to Life.”

National Right to Life PAC was extensively involved in 129 U.S. House and Senate races, winning 89 of them.

At the state level the political action committees of the state affiliates of National Right to Life successfully worked to elect pro-life state candidates. These results are consistent with public opinion that is very favorable to the state legislative initiatives of National Right to Life and its state affiliates.

One such initiative is to have states “opt out” of abortion coverage in health insurance plans to be offered in the exchanges offered in the states under the Obama Health Care Law.

The Polling Company found that 58% (45% strongly) opposed “using taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion at any time and for any reason.” Only 35% supported abortion funding (just 18% strongly).

The abortion funding issue in health care affected a significant percentage of voters. Fully 31% of voters said abortion funding in the health care law affected their vote. Of that 31%, The Polling Company found that 27% voted for candidates who opposed abortion funding in the health care law compared to only 4% who said they voted for candidates who favored such funding.

These results were consistent with polls taken before passage of Obama’s health care law. In November 2009, a Washington Post/ABC News poll asked the question: “Say someone buys private health insurance using government assistance to help pay for it. Do you think insurance sold that way should or should not be allowed to include coverage for abortions.” Sixty-one percent said such plans should not be allowed to cover abortions and only 35% said they should.

An analysis of public opinion also shows strong support for the effect of laws protecting the pain-capable unborn child such as the law which is now in effect in Nebraska. The Nebraska law prohibits elective abortion at and after 20 weeks of pregnancy, at which time there is substantial medical evidence that the unborn child can feel pain. (See story, page 7.)

The November Polling Company poll found that 53% of the public would allow abortions at most in cases to save the life of the mother or rape or incest as opposed to 41% who would allow abortion for any reason. However that 41% included 25% who would not allow abortion after the first three months.

Combining that 25% with the 53% who would ban elective abortion, yields 78% support for the effect of the Nebraska law which prohibits elective abortion at and after 20 weeks.

With such overwhelming public support and the results of the election, it is expected that a number of states will follow Nebraska’s example and protect unborn children old enough to feel pain from the torture of abortion.