CSUN Survey Results: Abortions until What Point in Pregnancy?

For the second question of our 10/18 CSUN survey, respondants were shown the second panel of the Justice For All Exhibit brochure (email lex@jfaweb.org to receive a free copy of this museum-quality brochure - one of my favorite tools), which shows the stages of human development. Then they were asked,

“Up until what point in the pregnancy can a woman legally get an abortion in the US?”

The results:

Fertilization: 1%

2-Cell Conceptus: 2%

Implantation: 5%

4 Week Embryo: 16%

7 Week Embryo: 22%

2nd Trimester: 27%

3rd Trimester: 17%

Partially Born: 4%

Abortion is not legal: 3%

The facts? Abortion is legal through all nine months for just about any reason. See my article, “Is abortion legal for all nine months?” for an explanation.

As the numbers above illustrate, there is a great deal of confusion among average Americans about when abortion is actually legal. Notice these extrapolations from the above data:

49% of people surveyed think that abortion is illegal after 7 weeks

76% think abortion is illegal in the 2nd trimester and beyond

93% think abortion is illegal in the third trimester.

11% think abortion is illegal after the unborn implants on the uterine wall (!)

Some people think that because D and X (partial-birth) abortion bans have been passed around the country, abortion is illegal. But in 2000 the Supreme Court ruled that D and X bans are unconstitutional, the revised bans have been subjected to judicial challenge since then, and the constitutionality of a federal ban is being considered by the Supreme Court now. (Oral arguments in two cases began on November 8.) That means D and X is still legal. And that’s only one late-term procedure. Dr. Tiller and Dr. Hern both specialize in performing late-term abortions using other procedures.

So here’s a question for all of us: “If people knew that abortion is legal for any reason up until the moment of birth, would they be less likely to say they support abortion in general?”

Next Week: “Up until what point should abortion be legal?”

Comments

[alan aronson]

Interesting discussion and links at Balkin's blog on the South Dakota abortion ban vote:

http://balkin.blogspot.com/2006/11/south-dakota-abortion-ban-rejected.html

[Kelly in Maryland]

So here’s a question for all of us: “If people KNEW that abortion is legal for any reason up until the moment of birth, would they be less likely to say they support abortion in general?”

Unfortunately and sadly, people do not know the facts about abortion rights, laws and practices. I find your study to be informative and accurate as to how a random sample of most college aged students would respond to such questions. I would be equally interested in knowing how different populations would respond, i.e. older vs younger, conservative vs liberal. I tend to believe that the more attention that is drawn to such controversial issues as abortion, the more people do tend to become interested and active in learning about the facts. In that process of learning, I feel that people begin searching for deeper meanings about God, morality and life itself. I am curious to engage in the remaining results of your survey.

[Christina]

Ignorance is not bliss, but people sure do cling to it.

I once heard a woman telling somebody that abortion is only legal up to 12 weeks. I quietly picked up the phone book and opened it to the Yellow Pages ads for the two facilities in town, both of which openly advertised "abortions to 24 weeks." I said, "Not so, Susan. It's 24 weeks on demand."

Several weeks later I heard that same woman again saying that abortion is only legal up to 12 weeks.

I had a guy online once insist that the NAF and PP web sites I sent him to were "phony" because they included information on getting abortions after 12 weeks!