Americans are tired of abortion debate, poll finds

Created: June 03, 2011 15:27 | Last updated: July 31, 2020 00:00

A recent poll finds that Americans are tired of the current debate over abortion rights. Most respondents in the survey agreed with pollsters who asked them if they thought a broader discussion about reproductive issues would be more constructive. #

The poll was commissioned by the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and the Communications Consortium Media Center. It was carried out by Lake Research Partners, a Democratic and woman-owned research firm that works with “a wide range of advocacy groups, labor unions, non-profits, government agencies, companies and foundations, as well as dozens of elected officials.” #

According to Politico, subjects in the survery were asked if they agreed with the following statement:

While the current political debate focuses too much on abortion, there is a much broader discussion that needs to happen around reproductive health. We may have different opinions about abortion, so rather than continuing to argue about this one issue, our elected officials should focus on the broader context like providing greater access to birth control, teaching comprehensive sex education and improving maternal health and childbirth outcomes. These are issues that will allow us to come together.

Seventy-nine percent of adults agreed with the statement, with 49 percent agreeing “strongly.” #

This past legislative session, Florida in particular has focused a lot of effort on curbing abortion rights in the state, while simultaneously slashing family planning money for low-income women in the state and cutting programs that promote women’s reproductive health. #

Politico reports that four out of 10 people surveyed for the poll said they “would be less likely to vote for a member of Congress who votes to defund groups like Planned Parenthood.” #