Most oppose overturning Roe v. Wade

Most Americans remain opposed to overturning the controversial Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which 40 years ago legalized abortion at least in the first three months of pregnancy, according to a poll released yesterday.

The Pew Research Center poll found that 63 percent of Americans believe Roe v. Wade should not be overturned, compared with 29 percent who believe it should be. These opinions have changed little from surveys in 2003 and 1992, Pew reported.

Michael Dimock, director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, said it is uncommon to see so little change in attitudes on a controversial issue. "They really haven't changed a lot over the years, which is kind of interesting because a lot of other social issues have changed a lot, gay marriage being the most notable example," he said.

Dimock noted that opinions on issues such as gay marriage sometimes have a sharp generational divide. But the abortion issue shows only modest generational differences.

Those most likely to favor upholding Roe v. Wade at 69 percent are the "baby boomers" aged 50-64, who were children or young adults when the case was decided on Jan. 22, 1973. This group was followed by those 18-29 years old, who favored upholding the decision by 68 percent.

Those 65 and older were most likely to favor overturning the decision, at 36 percent.

NARAL Pro-Choice America, a national abortion rights group, said the data confirm what NARAL has found in its own research, a steady majority of the public supports a woman's right to choose an abortion.

A spokesperson for National Right to Life, a leading anti-abortion group, was not immediately available for comment

The poll also found that 53 percent of the public say the abortion is not that important, compared with other issues, the first time that number has been over 50 percent. That might reflect Americans' current preoccupation with such issues as the national debt and gun control.

The poll was based on interviews with a national sample of 1,502 adults, aged 18 or over, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.