A new poll conducted by the Knights of Columbus and Marist suggests most Americans oppose using taxpayer dollars for abortions in the United States and abroad.
According to a telephone survey of more than 1,000 people, a majority of Americans, nearly 6 in 10, oppose using federal funding to pay for abortions for women in the United States. When examined by their ideology, even 31 percent of those who self-identify as “pro-choice” object to using tax dollars for abortions on American soil. Approximately 83 percent of Republicans are opposed to this proposition as well as 65 percent of independents.
When asked about using federal funds for international abortions, 77 percent of Americans said they “oppose” or “strongly oppose” it, a number the researchers say has gone up since last year, with 95 percent of Republicans, 85 percent of independents, and even 55 percent of Democrats opposing it, demonstrating bipartisan agreement. Of those against using tax dollars to pay for abortions overseas, 64 percent even say they are pro-choice.
Only 19 percent of the respondents either “support” or “strongly support” paying for abortions outside the United States, a small percentage of taxpayers.
While researchers noted that abortion is often an issue that is politicized and communicated as merely a two-sided issue by the media, 76 percent of respondents also claimed they support “significant restrictions on abortion,” such as allowing the deadly procedure only during the first trimester and in cases of rape, incest, or to preserve the life of the mother. According to the results, 98 percent of pro-lifers believe restrictions are necessary for abortions, and a 55 percent majority of pro-choicers also encouraged limitations.
The results come just days before President Joe Biden is expected to sign a series of executive orders removing pro-life protections such as the Mexico City policy, which bans U.S. foreign aid from being directed to organizations that perform abortions. Biden and Democrats have also signaled their intent to rescind the traditional and bipartisan passage of the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer dollars from funding abortions except if the mother’s life is in danger, she was raped, or there was incest.
“Amidst the harsh political divides in our country, clear bipartisan majorities support abortion restrictions and do not want their tax dollars paying for abortion abroad. Our polling has shown consistently over the past decade that policies that promote abortion on demand paid for by taxpayers are divisive and out of step with American public opinion,” stated Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus.
This survey of 1,173 adults, 18-years-old and over living in the United States, was conducted Jan. 11-13, 2021. Respondents were contacted on landline or mobile numbers and interviewed in English or Spanish. Results are statistically significant within ±3.5 percentage points.
