A new poll by Middle Tennessee State University finds that a majority of the state’s voters think abortion should be banned.
53% said that abortion should be illegal in most or all cases, while 39% said it should be allowed in most or all cases and 8% either said they were unsure or refused to answer. Poll director Ken Blake observed that these findings were consistent with past surveys, and that opposition to abortion was highest among evangelical Christian and Republican voters.
Notably, however, pro-lifers also narrowly outnumbered pro-choicers among independents, 47% to 44% (with 10% unsure or non-responsive).
Americans United for Life’s 2014 state report card ranks Tennessee as the 23rd most pro-life state in the union, crediting it with a variety of pro-life laws on the books, though several are judicially blocked from enforcement. NARAL Pro-Choice America gives the state an F for being solidly “anti-choice,” i.e., pro-life. Non-abortion-related health centers outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities in Tennessee 66 to 1.
Graphic via Alliance Defending Freedom
Nationally, Gallup has consistently found for the past twenty years that a majority of Americans want abortion generally illegal. This summer, the Associated Press reported that abortion rates have declined in almost every state, including Tennessee.
