FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 23, 2012
Contact: Mallory Quigley, 202-223-8073
Americans Shed Label as Abortion Lie is Exposed
Washington, DC ─ Today, Gallup released a poll showing the number of people self-identifying as “pro-choice” is at a record-low, signaling a continuing shift of American opinion away from abortion.
“It comes as no surprise that more Americans are shedding the ‘pro-choice’ label as they come to terms with what is really meant by this hollow branding,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List). “The big ‘abortion liberates’ lie and those who promulgate it are becoming unmasked. Planned Parenthood, the nation’s number one abortion provider, has been revealed for what it is: an abortion-centered, profit-driven business. Those who would have us continue to fund abortion with our tax dollars are arguing in direct opposition to public opinion. President Obama, his allies in Congress, and the abortion lobby have radically overstepped their bounds, causing Americans to turn away quickly.
“This is exactly what we’ve seen across the country as state legislatures pass more pro-life legislation than ever before. Cheered on by the pro-life grassroots, state leaders are working tirelessly to enact laws banning abortion based on fetal pain, parental notification laws, and women’s right to know legislation. Americans are increasingly identifying with the position of protecting human life. It’s not shocking that we’re seeing stronger pro-life opinions. This trend has been steady since the early ‘90s.”
Today’s polling results show a record-low 41 percent now identify as “pro-choice,” down from 47 percent last year. In 2010, Gallup called “pro-life” identification the “new normal.”
In 2009, for the first time since they began polling the question in 1995, Gallup revealed that more Americans identified themselves as “pro-life” rather than “pro-choice.” At the time, Gallup proposed that the shift could be due to President Obama’s overreach on the issue. They posited: “It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public’s understanding of what it means to be ‘pro-choice’ slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction.”
The Susan B. Anthony List and its connected Political Action Committee, the SBA List Candidate Fund, are dedicated to electing candidates and pursuing policies that will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, the SBA List will emphasize the election, education, promotion, and mobilization of pro-life women. The SBA List is a network of over 365,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.
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