A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and the Capitol Resource Institute of 1,216 likely California voters shows faltering public support for Proposition 1 — a ballot measure which would enshrine abortion as a “right” in that state’s constitution and would eliminate gestational limits on the procedure, allowing preborn children to be aborted until the moment of birth.
While a majority (59%) of likely voters still say they support the ballot measure, that number has declined since August, when 66% expressed support. Of those polled, 33% said they oppose the measure, with 22% expressing strong opposition.
The shift in opinion among women and Independent voters, in particular, is noteworthy. According to Rasmussen Reports:
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of women voters in California now call themselves pro-choice, down from 65% in August, while 36% of women now call themselves pro-life, up from 27% in August. Forty-four percent (44%) of California women Strongly Support Proposition 1, down from 55% in August, while 22% of women Strongly Oppose Proposition 1, up from 15% in August.
… Among unaffiliated voters in California, 31% Strongly Support Proposition 1, down from 38% in August, while 28% of unaffiliated voters now Strongly Oppose Proposition 1, up from 24% in August. Forty-eight percent (48%) of California unaffiliated voters call themselves pro-choice, down from 55% in August.
The poll shows a decline in the number of California voters identifying as “pro-choice” and an increase in the number identifying as pro-life generally: 55% of those surveyed currently consider themselves “pro-choice,” down from 62% in August, while 36% now consider themselves pro-life, up from 31% in August.
Rasmussen also reports that “[s]upport for taxpayer-funded abortion has declined, from 51% in August to 46% now. Thirty-five percent (35%) of California voters Strongly Disapprove of the use of taxpayer money to perform abortions, up from 28% in August.” And a majority (54%) of likely California voters disapprove of the sale of aborted fetal tissue and body parts; 38% strongly disapprove.
Previous polling has shown that Californians do not widely support abortion beyond the first trimester. This survey reinforces those findings. Only 14% of those surveyed felt abortion should be legal at any time; 13% said abortion should be legal up to 6 months’ gestation; 34% said abortion should be legal only during the first trimester; 19% said abortion should be legal only during the first month of pregnancy; and 15% said all abortions should be illegal.
Given these numbers, it is perhaps surprising that the percentage of California voters who express support for Proposition 1 remains so high. This is possible because voters do not realize that the measure will permanently legalize abortion on demand until birth.
The decline in support, according to some opponents of Proposition 1, is due to efforts to educate the public about what the measure will actually do. Karen England, President of the Capitol Resource Institute, which sponsored the Rasmussen survey, stated, “The more Californians learn that Proposition 1 would legalize late-term abortion, the more they oppose it.”
