Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
National Support For Abortion At Highest Level Since 1995, But Polls Shows Many Want Some Limits In Place
The Washington Post: Abortion Support Is The Highest It’s Been In Two Decades As Challenges Mount
Support for legal abortion stands at its highest level in more than two decades according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, even as numerous states adopt restrictions that challenge the breadth of rights established by the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The Post-ABC poll finds a 60 percent majority who say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, up from 55 percent in a 2013 Post-ABC poll, and tying the record high level of support from 1995. The latest survey finds 36 percent say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, also tying a record low. (Guskin and Clement, 7/10)
For detailed results of the Washington Post–ABC News poll click here.
ABC News: Support For Legal Abortion Matches Its 24-Year High: Poll
While support for legal abortion now matches its high in fall 1995, trends since then have not been consistent. The long-term average, in 32 ABC/Post polls over this period, is 55%, compared with today’s 60%. In terms of state-level action, 41% say laws on women’s access to abortion should be left as they are now. Thirty-two percent say access to abortion should be easier than it is now, for a total of 73% favoring either no change or fewer restrictions. Twenty-four percent say abortion access should be harder. (In an ABC/Post poll last summer, 30% said they would like to see the Supreme Court make it harder to get an abortion, down from 42% in 2005.) (Filer, 7/10)
The Hill: Support For Abortion Rights At Highest Point In Decades: Poll
The poll released Tuesday shows 60 percent of Americans consider abortion to be an important issue when considering how they will vote for president. A majority also said they disapprove of the way President Trump is handling abortion, 54 percent to 32 percent. (Hellmann, 7/10)
Boston Globe: On Beacon Hill And Beyond, Everyone Has A Stake In Women’s Rights
In Massachusetts, abortion rights advocates who are countering the national trend by trying to expand abortion access actively sought a male ally to sponsor legislation on Beacon Hill. ...On Beacon Hill, men are lead sponsors of numerous issues once regarded as female concerns. Representative Jack Patrick Lewis, a Framingham Democrat, teamed up with Representative Natalie Higgins, a Leominster Democrat, to sponsor a bill that aims to end sexual violence by teaching students about sexual consent, starting in kindergarten. (Ebbert, 7/10)
In other news —
The Washington Post: Abortion Access Is More Difficult For Women In Poverty
Women living below the federal poverty level are being disproportionately affected by tightening antiabortion regulations, particularly as clinics across the country have been closing in recent years. Poor women of childbearing age are more likely than other women to have to drive more than an hour to reach the closest abortion provider, according to drive-time analysis by The Washington Post. (Keating, Meko and Rindler, 7/10)
