A new poll indicates that half of Americans are morally opposed to abortion in most circumstances, even though more people identify as pro-choice than pro-life.
The Rasmussen Reports poll released on Monday found that 50 percent believe terminating a pregnancy is morally wrong most of the time, up 4 points from earlier this year.
Americans with moral reservations about abortion greatly outnumber those believe there is nothing wrong with the procedure. Just 34 percent of Americans believe abortion is morally right in most cases. A sizable 17 percent are still undecided on the issue.
Despite the popularity of pro-life sentiment, 52 percent of Americans still identify as pro-choice, compared to 42 percent who say they’re pro-life.
Indeed, 21 percent of Americans who identify as pro-choice believe abortion is morally wrong in most cases.
America’s increasingly pro-life attitude may be contributing to a decline in the abortion rate.
Data released by the Centers for Disease Control last week showed the abortion rate declined in the United States by 5 percent from 2012 to 2013. Among 46 states for which data were available, 41 reported declines in the number of abortions.
That downward trend is par for the course since the abortion rate peaked in 1980. Between 2004 and 2013, for instance, the abortion rate fell by approximately 15 percent.
The Rasmussen poll surveyed 1,000 people from Nov. 21–22. It has a margin of error of 3 percent.
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