A Pew Research Center report shows that public support for abortion is on the decline (http://people-press.org/report/549/support-for-abortion-slips).
The new Pew poll finds that 47% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 45% say it should be illegal in all or most cases. A year ago, 54% said abortion should be legal in all/most cases and 41% said it should be illegal. Pew reports that support for legal abortion is at a 15-year low.
While 2 years ago 35% of Americans favored the idea of making abortions more difficult, 41% now favor that idea. Four years ago, 59% said that it was good to reduce the number of abortions, and today 65% say that.
The poll also finds that the shift in opinion is broad-based, appearing across most demographic groups, except President Obama's strongest supporters (African Americans, young people, and those unaffiliated with a religion).
What might account for this shift? Has the election of a Democratic president who supports abortion rights caused some people to re-think their position on the issue? Have pro-life groups been successful in moving public opinion on the issue?
Moreover, with the trend toward anti-abortion sentiment increasing, will Republicans and social conservatives be able to effectively use the issue of abortion to make gains in the 2010 midterm and 2012 presidential elections?
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