Most Americans disagree with the Supreme Court on abortion

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Americans on friday lost the constitutional right to an abortion. The Supreme Court’s judgment in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation shook the bitterly divided country, even though it had been expected. Last month a leaked draft opinion showed that the court was prepared to overturn Dobbs, and, in effect Roe v Wade, the ruling from 1973 that recognised a constitutional right to an abortion. “Trigger laws” are now expected to ban abortions in 13 states. More than a dozen other states are expected to follow. But a poll conducted for The Economist by YouGov, an online polling firm, shows that most Americans want to maintain abortion rights. (See chart.)

According to the survey—conducted between June 11th and 14th—nearly half of the people questioned, 49%, did not want Roe v Wade to be overturned. Only 9% of respondents said that a “pregnant woman should never be able to obtain a legal abortion”.

A higher proportion of respondents favoured abortion under certain circumstances: 68% were in favour if the woman’s health was seriously endangered by the pregnancy; 67% and 64% were in favour if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest. If the baby was thought to have little or no life expectancy, 59% said the mother should have the right to terminate the pregnancy.

Friday’s ruling will not affect all Americans equally. While some states rushed to restrict women’s rights, others including California, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada and New Jersey have bolstered or preserved abortion rights through state laws. Other states, including Michigan, are considering amending their state’s constitution to protect abortion rights. Kathy Hochul, New York’s governor, signed a package of bills in June that ensures protections for both residents and out-of-state women seeking abortions.

President Joe Biden has said it will take more pro-choice members in the House and Senate to codify the right to an abortion in Congress. But a murky outlook for House Democrats in November’s mid-term elections makes such a move unlikely. Instead, Mr Biden said he may issue executive actions that could maintain the right to end a pregnancy. But an executive order cannot restore abortion as a constitutional right. ■

Read more on this topic:
Daily chart: Being denied an abortion hurts women’s finances
The Economist Explains: Why abortion rights are under threat in America
By Invitation: Overturning abortion rights ignores freedoms awarded after slavery’s end, says Peggy Cooper Davis
Summer reads: The best books to explain America’s debate on abortion rights