Most women oppose leaving abortion laws to the states, across party lines: Poll

Three-quarters of reproductive age women in the United States oppose letting states decide whether abortion is legal, including large majorities of Democrats and independents, according to a survey published Wednesday. 

At least half of all women aged 18-49 said they opposed the state-by-state approach regardless of party affiliation, according to the survey from health policy research group KFF.  

Opposition was highest among Democratic women at 88 percent, but the survey showed 53 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of women who identified as independent also opposed the idea.  

More than two-thirds of those who live in states with abortion bans and gestational limits oppose leaving abortion decisions up to the states.  

Two years after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, 14 states have banned abortion, and half a dozen others have implemented gestational restrictions from six weeks to 15 weeks. 

Former President Trump has taken credit for ending Roe v. Wade, saying doing so was a popular decision. After refusing to take a position for months, Trump is now betting on a message that individual states get to decide their own abortion policies.

During a news conference last week, Trump said he thinks abortion is “going to be a very small issue” this election. 

Democrats are campaigning on protecting abortion rights, and Vice President Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has been the administration’s point person on reproductive rights issues. Harris has pledged to fight to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade across all states, even as some progressives push her to go further.  

Republicans have struggled to find a winning message on abortion policy.  

Under Trump, the Republican party has stopped openly embracing calls for a federal abortion ban, to the dismay of anti-abortion groups.

The findings of the KFF survey underscore previous polls that showed most Americans disagree with the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

According to the survey, 3 in 4 women of reproductive age said they think abortion should be legal in most or all cases — 38 percent said legal in all cases, and 37 percent said legal in most cases. Only 8 percent of women said that abortion should be illegal in all cases. 

Brittni Frederiksen, an associate director for women’s health policy at KFF, said the survey shows people’s lived experiences influence their views even across party lines. 

The survey found that 1 in 7 women of reproductive age reported having had an abortion at some point in their life. The numbers were similar shares across women who identified as Republican (12 percent), Democratic (14 percent) and independent (15 percent). 

“I think it’s a relatively common health care service, and I think people want it to be available if they need it or want it,” Frederiksen said. “I think it becomes one party versus another, and in reality, it doesn’t matter your party ID. You may need an abortion at some point in your lifetime.” 

Nearly 1 in 10 women of reproductive age said they personally know someone who has had difficulty getting an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned, including 11 percent of Hispanic women and 13 percent of women living in states with abortion bans.  

Among the barriers cited were traveling out of state for care, not knowing where to go and lacking the money to cover the cost. 

Nationally, three-quarters of reproductive-age women who are Democrats and 6 in 10 independent women said they were concerned about abortion access in cases of pregnancy-related emergencies. The survey showed 42 percent of Republican women also shared those concerns.

The survey also explores the abortion experiences and perspectives of women in Florida, where it is on the ballot this November, and Arizona, a key swing state where an abortion ballot initiative is awaiting certification amid legal challenges.

While the survey did not ask people’s opinions about the respective ballot measures, it found abortion rights were broadly popular in both states.

Overwhelming majorities of women in both states — 70 percent in Arizona and 72 percent in Florida — said abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Florida’s amendment needs 60 percent of the votes to become law, while Arizona’s would need 50 percent if the measure is approved for the ballot. 

Amid the constantly changing landscape of abortion laws, the survey found major gaps in their awareness about abortion laws in their state. 

Less than half of reproductive age women were aware of the current status of abortion policy in their state. Nearly a quarter described the status incorrectly, and a third said they were unsure. 

One in 4 respondents did not know how to obtain an abortion if they wanted or needed one, or even where to find information about it. While most respondents said they knew medication abortion existed, people weren’t sure if it was legal, even in states where abortion is generally available.

The survey of 3,901 women ages 18-49 was conducted between May 13 and June 18. Margins of sampling error for the national sample of reproductive age women, Arizona reproductive age women, and Florida reproductive age women are plus or minus 2 percentage points, 8 percentage points, and 6 percentage points, respectively.