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Most in US don't support full abortion bans, even in states with them

About 60% of Americans believe Congress should pass a law promising legal access to abortion across the country.
Most in US don't support full abortion bans, even in states with them
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A year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, most adults in the U.S. still think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, an AP-NORC poll found.

About 60% of Americans believe Congress should pass a law promising legal access to abortion across the country. The findings are consistent with a July 2022 poll conducted by AP-NORC after the ruling was first overturned.

Still, there is political divide. While Democrats largely favor abortion rights, about 32% of Republicans are in favor of a federal law granting access to the procedure.

Most of the discrepancies come into play on the time frame.

About 73% of U.S. adults agree that abortion should be allowed within the first six weeks of pregnancy, but after 15 weeks, that share drops to 51%. The majority of Americans in states with tight abortion restrictions still think it should be legal at least up to six weeks.

SEE MORE: Texas abortion ban may have contributed to births of nearly 10K babies

Regardless of party, most of both Republicans and Democrats believe a person has the right to an abortion in certain circumstances, including when a pregnant person’s life is in danger, the person became pregnant through rape or incest, or if the child would have a serious life-threatening illness.

Abortion is currently banned at all stages of pregnancy in a total of 14 states. Most of the states are in the South and have varying exceptions. 


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