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June 10, 2011
Statement on Americans' Support of Abortion
A new poll released yesterday by the Public Religion Research Institute has a wide-ranging look at Millennials’ (young people between the ages of 18 and 29) attitudes and feelings toward abortion.
Among the key findings
• A solid majority of Americans (56 percent) say abortion should be legal in all (19 percent) or most (37 percent) cases, compared to four in 10 who say it should be illegal in all (14 percent) or most (26 percent) cases.
• Nearly six in 10 (58 percent) Americans say that at least some health care professionals in their communities should provide abortion care. This number rises to 68 percent among Millennials.
• Eighty-two percent of Americans favor expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it.
• The decoupling of attitudes on abortion and same-sex marriage suggests that these topics, which served in the past as the heart of the “values” agenda, are no longer necessarily linked in the minds of Americans.
Statement from Tanya Atkinson, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin Executive Director, on the Public Religion Research Institute’s Poll on the Millennial Generation and Abortion:
“As Wisconsin state lawmakers prepare to vote on state budget that includes unprecedented rollbacks for women’s access to preventive health care, including cancer screenings, Pap tests and birth control, they should consider that four in five Americans support expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it.
“Equally important, the poll highlights significant support of accessibility and availability of abortion care, a critical component of women’s health care. Fifty-eight percent of Americans say there should be health care professionals in their community that provide abortion care. Millennials especially think it is important to have health care professionals in their community to provide abortion care, as their support jumps to 68 percent.
“The poll also shows increased support for abortion rights, with a solid majority of Americans (56 percent) saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases (up from 50 percent in a 2010 Gallup poll). The poll also affirms that there has been stable and consistent majority support for Roe v. Wade over the years, reflecting the fact that it has been settled law for nearly 40 years.
“It is also heartening to see that there is no gap in support among young people on another issue they consider as a basic human right, with support for marriage equality reaching similar majority support levels for abortion rights.
“We caution elected officials to heed the warning in this poll: Supporting women’s fundamental right to comprehensive reproductive health care is not just sound public policy, it’s good politics.
“Planned Parenthood will continue to provide primary and preventive health care and work to reduce the high number of unintended pregnancies in our country while also ensuring that women have the ability to make their own decisions about their families, their future, and their health without government interference.”
Statement on Americans' Support of Abortion
A new poll released yesterday by the Public Religion Research Institute has a wide-ranging look at Millennials’ (young people between the ages of 18 and 29) attitudes and feelings toward abortion.
Among the key findings
• A solid majority of Americans (56 percent) say abortion should be legal in all (19 percent) or most (37 percent) cases, compared to four in 10 who say it should be illegal in all (14 percent) or most (26 percent) cases.
• Nearly six in 10 (58 percent) Americans say that at least some health care professionals in their communities should provide abortion care. This number rises to 68 percent among Millennials.
• Eighty-two percent of Americans favor expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it.
• The decoupling of attitudes on abortion and same-sex marriage suggests that these topics, which served in the past as the heart of the “values” agenda, are no longer necessarily linked in the minds of Americans.
Statement from Tanya Atkinson, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin Executive Director, on the Public Religion Research Institute’s Poll on the Millennial Generation and Abortion:
“As Wisconsin state lawmakers prepare to vote on state budget that includes unprecedented rollbacks for women’s access to preventive health care, including cancer screenings, Pap tests and birth control, they should consider that four in five Americans support expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it.
“Equally important, the poll highlights significant support of accessibility and availability of abortion care, a critical component of women’s health care. Fifty-eight percent of Americans say there should be health care professionals in their community that provide abortion care. Millennials especially think it is important to have health care professionals in their community to provide abortion care, as their support jumps to 68 percent.
“The poll also shows increased support for abortion rights, with a solid majority of Americans (56 percent) saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases (up from 50 percent in a 2010 Gallup poll). The poll also affirms that there has been stable and consistent majority support for Roe v. Wade over the years, reflecting the fact that it has been settled law for nearly 40 years.
“It is also heartening to see that there is no gap in support among young people on another issue they consider as a basic human right, with support for marriage equality reaching similar majority support levels for abortion rights.
“We caution elected officials to heed the warning in this poll: Supporting women’s fundamental right to comprehensive reproductive health care is not just sound public policy, it’s good politics.
“Planned Parenthood will continue to provide primary and preventive health care and work to reduce the high number of unintended pregnancies in our country while also ensuring that women have the ability to make their own decisions about their families, their future, and their health without government interference.”