Below The Radar

Between the long shadow cast by the economy and the excitement of the historic election of Barack Obama as the new president of the United States, there's one subject which has barely made it into the headlines. Among the ballot initiatives that were decided in the fifty states were three referenda which would have banned or restricted abortion. These measures, in South Dakota, Colorado, and California, were all defeated.

Although the pro-life and pro-choice movements often appear irreconcilably polarized, the public does not seem to consider the issue so clear-cut. In fact, while a majority of the public supports Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the U.S., few Americans hold strictly pro-choice or pro-life views. Twenty-four percent believe abortion should be "legal under any circumstances," 57% believe it should be legal "only under certain circumstances," and 18% believe it should be "illegal in all circumstances."

Americans also seem to differentiate between their individual beliefs and what they think should be codified in law. For example, while 53% of the public personally believe that, in general, abortion is morally wrong, 68% also think that regardless of their own individual beliefs, it is a decision to be made by the woman and her doctor.

Although abortion is a highly divisive issue, the intense battle between the most zealous segments of the pro-choice and pro-life movements serves to obscure the fact that much of the public sees a gray area. Lost in the vitriolic political debate is the fact that many Americans, although uncomfortable with a government ban on abortion, would also like to see a lot less of them.

Both the pro-life and pro-choice movements would do well to focus less on demonizing the other side (as baby-killers, on the one hand, or religious fanatics, on the other) and more on solving one goal that those on either side of the issue can agree on: reducing the number of abortions. Perhaps, by listening to the complex opinions of the public, we can find a common-ground approach to ending the long, bitter conflict over abortion in the U.S.

For more information on public views on abortion, see Public Agenda's issue guide on the subject at http://www.publicagenda.org/citizen/issueguides/abortion.