Number of 'Pro-Choice' Americans At All-Time Low

The number of Americans who call themselves “pro-choice” has now reached an all time low, according to Gallup today. Half of Americans say they’re pro-life, just short of the record high from May 2009; just 41 percent call themselves pro-choice. Republican support for the pro-life position has risen gradually over the last two years, from 65 percent to 72 percent. The pro-choice position has seen a dramatic decline among independents, who favored the pro-choice position 51-41 just a year ago; today, they favor the pro-life position 47-41. Democratic support for the pro-choice position is also reaching lows not seen since 2003, with 58 percent identifying as pro-choice.

Amazingly enough, American sentiment about the morality of abortion has held steady. Except for one poll in 2006 showing a 44-43 split in favor of Americans who thought abortion was morally wrong, virtually every poll has shown over half of Americans think abortion is immoral. And just a quarter of Americans believe that abortion should be legal under all circumstances – the official position of many Democrats, including Barack Obama.