Beyond a House Divided by Carl Anderson

Author:Carl Anderson [Anderson, Carl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-88775-7
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2010-11-01T16:00:00+00:00

But the logic—and numbers—of the last statement in this commentary just don’t add up. In 2005, when this poll was conducted, less than 30 percent of 16- to 18-year-old girls who became pregnant ended their pregnancy by having an abortion.24 In other words, while 70 percent of the students responding to Zogby’s poll said hypothetically they would not consider an abortion. Reality was consistent with this. By an almost identical margin, more than 70 percent of their classmates who actually were pregnant chose not to have an abortion.

The fact that even more women in the general population have had abortions hasn’t made abortion any more popular. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that one in three women will have an abortion at some point in their lives.25 Even if that number is high, it means that many of us are likely to know someone who has had an abortion. Perhaps it is for that very reason that Americans by more than a two to one margin don’t think abortion solves problems in the long term. By 53 to 26 percent, most believe that “abortion does more harm than good,” rather than “improve a woman’s life.”26

The anguishing factors that lead many women to feel that abortion is their only choice are real—even the partisans agree on that. However, the American people know that whatever abortion may seem to “fix” in the short term, it’s much more complicated than that in the weeks, months and years following the loss of a child.27

Legally speaking, the consensus on abortion is reflected also in Americans’ understanding of the things that laws should prohibit and those that laws should protect.

For instance, when asked if laws can protect both the health of the mother and the life of her unborn child, 81 percent of Americans say yes—including 74 percent of those who identify as pro-choice.28

Asked if health care workers or doctors should be required to perform or assist with abortions despite their religious or moral objections, 79 percent of Americans answer no. They want the law to protect freedom of conscience. Again, two-thirds (67 percent) of those who identify themselves as pro-choice also feel this way.29

With such a widespread agreement on limiting abortion, this consensus has had an impact on other debates as well. During the 2009–2010 health care debate, Americans rejected the inclusion of abortion coverage in federally funded plans by a similar percentage of more than six in 10.30

Figure 2: Views on Abortion

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