Most Americans believe abortion should be legal, new survey says

With expanded access to abortion going into effect for Mainers later this month, a new survey shows the majority of Americans believe the Republican Party’s anti-abortion agenda is extreme. 

Three in five Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a poll from Navigator Research. Likewise, three in five people see the Republican Party’s position on abortion as extreme, compared to two in five for the Democratic Party.

The survey was given online to 1,000 registered voters in September. An additional 400 interviews were conducted with various racial groups and independent voters. The demographics of those who took the survey were reflective of the national registered voter population, the survey report said.

Earlier this year, Maine lawmakers expanded reproductive rights after the U.S. Supreme Court decided in 2022 that the Constitution does not grant the right to an abortion and returned the decision to the states. 

“Mainers elected pro-reproductive rights champions to represent them in Augusta, and despite anti-abortion politicians’ attempts to label compassionate policy backed by science as extreme, these champions helped see that this policy will be the law of the land,” said Lisa Margulies, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund, in a news release.

Inspired by a woman who traveled across the country to get an abortion after learning her son had a fatal genetic disorder, Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill in July to remove Maine’s ban on abortions later in pregnancy. 

The bill also removed criminal penalties for abortion care and updated the state’s data collection laws for abortion providers and patients.