Most Americans support abortion access one year after Roe v. Wade: poll
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The majority of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to an AP-NORC poll released Wednesday.
Why it matters: A year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Americans' overall support for access to the procedure remains strong — even as red states continue to pass strict bans.
- Iowa became the latest state to do so this week, when its Republican-led legislature passed a bill outlawing abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy.
By the numbers: The poll, conducted in late June, found that 64% of U.S. adults believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Yes, but: Americans are divided when it comes to how far into pregnancy abortion should be allowed.
- 73% of those surveyed said abortion should be allowed in the first six weeks of pregnancy, including 58% of people living in states with the strictest bans.
- But overall support drops to 51% when it comes to allowing abortion in the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, and falls to 27% for 24 weeks.
- There are also stark partisan divides, with Democrats' support for abortion far outweighing that of Republicans.
Zoom in: In Iowa, the law currently allows abortion up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.
- The bill passed Tuesday would ban the majority of abortions after cardiac activity is detected, generally around six weeks of pregnancy — before many people know they're pregnant.
- The legislation allows for some exceptions, including some cases of rape of incest, or when there are fetal abnormalities that are "incompatible with life."
What to watch: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) plans to sign the bill — which would take effect immediately — on Friday, sharply curtailing abortion access in the midwestern state.
- "The voices of Iowans and their democratically elected representatives cannot be ignored any longer, and justice for the unborn should not be delayed," Reynolds said in a statement Tuesday.
