A majority of Americans also oppose taxpayer funding for abortion (meaning President Joe Biden’s push to repeal the Hyde Amendment would not be a popular move). 

Importantly, most Americans don’t see the abortion debate as the zero-sum game pro-abortion advocates make it out to be. According to the poll, “81% of Americans believe laws can protect both the mother and her unborn child.”

The poll also found that a majority of Americans oppose making it easier for women to access abortion pills through the mail rather than in-person through a healthcare provider, an easing of regulations made permanent by the FDA in December. 

Whether or not they personally support abortion, a majority also believe that we should honor doctors’ religious objections to abortion, as well as religious organizations’ objections to covering them with insurance.

“As we await a decision in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, our polling continues to show that over 60% of Americans reject the central holding of Roe v. Wade, and want to return the decision to the states or make abortion illegal,” the Knights of Columbus’ Patrick Kelly said in a statement.

These findings may be shocking to vocal pro-abortion advocates, but Americans’ historically moderate views on abortion are not surprising to those who have been paying attention.

Popularity is no basis for policy, but this news should be encouraging for pro-lifers. It may not seem like it in the media, but there are plenty of people at the margin who are open to the message that all lives, from conception onward, have equal value.