Abortion Politics in the US

The relationship between public opinion and governmental policy

Public Opinion

Both sides of the abortion question argue that they have the majority of Americans behind them. Pro-lifers argue that a majority of Americans are against abortion on demand.Pro-choicers argue that a majority of Americans believe in a fundamental right of women to have an abortion.

Who’s right?

NES Questions on abortion, 1980-2000:"Which one of the opinions on this page best agrees with your view?"

1. By law, abortion should never be permitted 2. The law should permit abortion only in case

of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is in danger. 3. The law should permit abortion for reasons

other than rape, incest, or danger to the woman's life, but only after the need for the abortion has been clearly established.

4. By law, a woman should always be able to obtain an abortion as a matter of personal choice.

NES Data from 1980-2000:  ‘80 ‘84 ‘88 ‘92 ‘96 ‘00

Never permitted

11 13 12 10 13 12

Rape, Incest, Danger

32 29 33 28 30 31

Clear Need

18 19 18 14 16 15

Always a personal choice

35 35 35 46 40 39

Don’t know/other

4 3 1 2 2 2

One can find clear majorities to support both sides of the abortion argument.A majority of respondents to the NES believe that abortion should be available in some circumstances.But a clear majority of respondents also do not support the position of abortion on demand.

Demographics and opinion: “Never Permitted” by Level of Education

'80 '84 '88 '92 '96 '00

Grade Sch./Some High Sch. 23 25 21 25 31 31

High School

Diploma 12 14 15 12 17 16Some

College, no Degree 7 9 7 7 10 11

College Degree/

Post-grad 5 7 8 7 6 5

“Always allowed” by Education level

'80 '84 '88 '92 '96 '00

Grade Sch./Some High Sch. 16 15 20 26 14 20

High School

Diploma 32 31 32 40 34 35Some

College, no Degree 42 42 42 50 46 40

College Degree/

Post-grad 51 52 41 58 50 51

“Never Permitted” by Income

'80 '84 '88 '92 '96 '00Income 0-

16 Percentile 21 23 18 17 19 25Income 17-

33 Percentile 12 14 16 12 14 13Income 34-

67 Percentile 11 11 13 10 15 12Income 68-

95 Percentile 7 9 7 6 9 6Income 96-

100 Percentile 4 5 6 3 6 9

“Always Allowed” by Income

'80 '84 '88 '92 '96 '00Income 0-

16 Percentile 23 25 26 33 29 27Income 17-

33 Percentile 31 32 31 41 39 35Income 34-

67 Percentile 38 36 38 47 40 38Income 68-

95 Percentile 42 41 40 51 47 50Income 96-

100 Percentile 48 53 47 69 53 49

General Trends on abortion

Large majorities of Americans support a woman’s right to choose, but still believe in respecting the sanctity of life.In general, people believe that women should be able to make their own choices, but that those choices should be limited. This is where the public debate takes place.

The Big Question

Why is abortion such a hot political issue? 1) There is the divide between support

for choice and limiting that choice. Both sides of debate grab onto evidence that supports their opinion

2) The US political system is structured that social issues have more influence than in other countries.

US Political Structure

Political parties in US, decentralized as they are, are subject to extremists on both sides – Dems have pro-choice; Reps pro-life – who can force an issue.

US Political Structure

The US bureaucracy is structured so that social issues matter. Abortion plays role in American bureaucracy b/c

key decision makers and agencies have been subject to political pressure from the White House and/or Congress to promote one or another abortion policy.

Bureaucratic officials who make decisions on abortion policy are appointed (some with Senate approval); but they also have to go to Congress for budget approval. Interest groups play a role in both cases.

US Political Structure

Compare this to Canada, for instance, where public opinion on abortion is similar to that of the US, but where abortion is not such a divisive political issue.The political structure of Canada is such that abortion is not continually debated as it is in the US. Bureaucratic officials more removed from day-to-day politics than in the US.