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It's kind of telling that in the 12 years Gallup has been measuring Americans' moral indignation on a variety of so called vices, not once has it asked about birth control, a virtual non-issue in U.S. politics until it suddenly became one earlier this year. And, given the latest numbers, maybe Republicans should have kept the subject irrelevant, since few respondents shared their outrage.

For the first time ever, the pollster asked if using birth control is morally OK, and 89 percent of adults aged 18 or older randomly polled by phone responded that of course it was. In fact, birth control was the most "morally acceptable" of the 18 supposed vices respondents were quizzed on, which included polygamy, fornication, and pornography.

Unsurprisingly, 82 percent of Catholics, whose institutions stirred the pot on birth control by protesting an Obama provision mandating its funding, are morally fine with it. It's unsurprising since nearly every sexually active Catholic laywoman has used birth control at one point or another. Tough news Notre Dame, especially one day after the university sued the Obama administration over contraception.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.