More than half of Americans support abortion in all or most cases, according to recent polling by Pew Research Center. The number has remained fairly stable throughout the years, including through the overturning of Roe v. Wade, indicating that legal shifts can’t bypass the hard work of changing hearts and minds.

“A 60% majority of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases,” Pew reports. “This share is down slightly from the last few years – when attention to the issue was heightened after the high court’s Dobbs decision.”

Public opinion, however, diverges from the policies of both major political parties; while Democrats often fail to conjure up a single limit they would impose on abortion access, Republicans in the Trump administration are currently failing to limit access to mail-order abortion drugs, a limitation 70% of Americans support, according to a SBA Pro-Life America poll.

Unfortunately, just over half of Americans say it would be “easy” to get an abortion where they live; considering that it’s not at all difficult to order abortion pills online without an in-person doctor’s visit, this isn’t surprising.

Many Americans support the legality of medication abortion, but more Republicans in particular are turning against the drug, perhaps thanks to the countless stories of it being misused by abusive partners or resulting in serious complications for the women who take it.

“Since 2023, just over half of U.S. adults overall have expressed support for legal medication abortion,” Pew reports. “But the share who say it should be illegal has grown modestly, and the share who say they are not sure is now down somewhat, from 25% in 2024 to 18% in 2026. This change is largely driven by a shift in attitudes among Republicans.”

Another notable finding is that Republicans and Democrats are more diametrically opposed on the issue of abortion than they have been for decades.

Pew says “the current partisan gap in views of abortion is far wider than a few decades ago. In 2007, there was a 24 percentage point gulf between the parties. That has widened to 48 points today.”

Overall, nearly 40% say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases and firmly agree with the statement, “Human life begins at conception, so an embryo is a person with rights.” More than half, however, say “the decision to have an abortion should belong solely to the pregnant woman” is a good description of their views.

“Notably,” Pew points out, “a third of Americans say both statements describe their views at least somewhat well.”

This is a good indicator that many people are still persuadable on the issue of abortion. Also notable is that Pew did not poll people about their views on abortion by trimester, which is revealing of what many people really mean when they say “most cases.” A 2023 Gallup poll found that “majorities opposed abortion being legal in the second (55%) and third (70%) trimesters.”

The new Pew numbers are not particularly surprising, but they do leave hope that many people are persuadable on abortion. Pro-lifers should continue to bring up the dangers of abortion drugs and advocate policies that support both mothers and their children.