Outlier: MSNBC Touts New Poll Saying Support for Abortion ‘Climbed Drastically’

Friday is Morning Joe Jonathan Lemire proclaimed a brand new poll The Wall Street Journal and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago showed “support for abortion access has climbed drastically” when people asked if they support abortion for any reason. According to the pollsters, 57% support abortion on request. This is 15 more than a 2012 similar question.

Lemire suggested Republicans had lost touch with their constituents by putting the word “SUPPORT for Legal Abortion at Highest Point Ever” on the bottom. However, this poll results are incongruent with numerous other polls that found most support for at least some limitations on the fatal procedure.

LEMIRE: Inflation seems top of mind for many voters heading into November, but Republicans seem dramatically out of step on a couple of key issues, including gun rights and abortion. New polling shows the recently leaked supreme court draft opinion on Roe V. Wade has solidified American support for legal abortion access. Latest poll The Wall Street Journal and NORC at the university of Chicago shows support has remained steady over the past 20 years in cases where the woman’s health is seriously endangered or if there’s a strong chance of serious birth defects. In other cases, however, support has remained steady. support for abortion access has climbed drastically, compared to polls taken before that draft opinion was leaked. 

When a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, 84% of Americans say abortions should be legal, compared to 72% just ten years ago. When a woman cannot afford more children, 59% say abortion should be legal compared to 41% in both 2012 and 2002. Lastly, 57% say abortion should be legal if a woman wants one for any reason. That is the highest that figure has ever been, in polls that date back to 1977, and 13% higher than when the question was asked just six years ago. 

Lemire stated, “There is a minority within the Republican Party that supports guns and abortion.” But they appear dramatically out of touch with the rest.

Is this out of line with previous polls? The latest PBS/NPR/Marist poll found only 24% of Americans think an abortion should be available at any point during pregnancy, and 9% believe abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance. Nearly seven out of ten, or 68 percent, support restrictions on abortion. Even 52% of Democrats believe that abortion should not be allowed. 

This is the 19th of May PBS NewsHour,Lisa Desjardins (reporter) stated this: “In general about 25% of Americans believe that it should always be allowed in every stage of pregnancy. Leave it up to her and all the other family members. A third, or more, believe there should be an upper limit or a ban somewhere in the middle of three to six month. One third states they only apply to specific cases. PBS maintained its support for Roe, which is sometimes misunderstood to mean limiting abortion.

A poll last year by AP and this same National Opinion Research Center found 80% of Americans said that abortion should usually be illegal in the third trimester and 65% said it should be during the second trimester.

Liberty Mutual helped bring MSNBC polls to abortion supporters.