Roe vs. Wade not as clear cut as President Trump may believe

The Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade found that women had a constitutional right to safe, legal abortions without excessive government interference.

Since that ruling, there has been a concerted push by anti-abortion activists to have it overturned.

President Trump has made various statements in the past suggesting that he would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned, including specifically saying in a 2016 presidential debate that he was “pro-life” and that if he were to appoint justices to the Supreme Court, overturning the decision would “happen automatically.”

He’s been consistent, as are most presidents, in believing that Supreme Court nominees are an important political rallying cry for their supporters and a pathway to supporting their agenda.  However, poll data suggests that a focus on anti-abortion politics has little support.

The new Franklin Pierce University-Boston Herald national poll indicates that there is little support for overturning Roe v. Wade, regardless of party affiliation, presidential approval views, or support for confirming President Trump’s newest Supreme Court nominee before the election.

Even among the 60.3% of Republicans who support the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett and a vote on her confirmation before the election, only 46% support overturning Roe v. Wade.

Similarly, of those polled who said they voted for President Trump in 2016, only about 30% felt that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. Of those who said they strongly supported the job that President Trump is doing, about 50% felt that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.

This data is in line with other research such as a 2019 Pew Research survey that found that 70% of those surveyed do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned.

President Trump’s announcement that he had tested positive for COVID-19 had a slight negative effect on support for his Supreme Court nominee, support for holding her confirmation before the election, and a slight drop in the number of people that felt that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.

Looking at the overall numbers, approximately 61% of all of those surveyed said that the ruling in Roe v. Wade should be upheld. Those with the highest education levels had the strongest support for upholding the ruling, with almost 74%, and support for keeping the Roe v. Wade decision is, unsurprisingly, highest among Democrats, with 70% saying it should be upheld.

Supreme Court nominees are presidents’ legacies, staying on the court long after presidents leave office. But poll numbers suggest the president should reconsider his Supreme Court decision focus to something that resonates with his supporters.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3d2KxdM