Pollster Daniel Cox said on Thursday that more than 40 percent of women are concerned that abortion could become illegal during their lifetimes.

"In a poll that we conducted early in the spring, we found that more than four in 10 women said that abortion could be illegal in their lifetime," Cox, the director of research at the Public Religion Research Institute, told The Hill's Bob Cusack on Hill TV's "What America's Thinking."

Cox was referring to a survey conducted by the firm in April.

His comments come as President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE moves to announce his Supreme Court pick to replace outgoing Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Kennedy was seen as the court's centrist, and his absence has opened the door for Trump, who has pledged to advance "pro-life judges," to nominate a conservative to replace him.

Liberals have expressed concern over the possibility of another right-leaning justice, particularly when it comes to protecting the famous Roe v. Wade ruling, which established a right to an abortion.

— Julia Manchester