Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP
- In states that have banned abortion, a majority of women still want legal access, a survey found.
- Voters have largely supported abortion access since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
- In states that limit abortion, two-thirds of women oppose a nationwide ban on the abortion pill.
A majority of women living in states that have banned abortion want legal access to the procedure, a new survey shows.
An abortion survey released by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research group, polled 1,316 adults, about half of whom were women. The respondents resided in all 50 states and Washington, DC — including the 14 states that have banned abortion and 11 that have gestational limits.
In response, 67% of women living in states with abortion bans or restrictions said the procedure should be legal all or most of the time. In states that have gestational limits on when an abortion can be legally performed, 71% of women responded that abortion should be legal all or most of the time.
The results are not a huge surprise. Past referendums have shown overwhelming support for reproductive freedom — even in red states. But it doesn't bode well for some Republicans who want to restrict abortion via ballot initiatives this November and beyond.
In Florida, voters will decide in November whether abortion should become a constitutional right. If enshrined in the constitution, the amendment would override Florida's existing abortion bans, which now stand at 15 weeks. The Florida Supreme Court upheld the 15-week ban last week, paving the way for a 6-week potential prohibition now supported by the Flordia legislature.
The KFF survey also found that two-thirds of women in states where abortion is banned oppose a national ban on the abortion pill called mifepristone. The Supreme Court is due to issue a ruling on a nationwide limit on the abortion pill this summer. Justices appeared skeptical of enforcing limits on the pill during a hearing in March, The New York Times reported.
Should he regain the White House in November, former President Donald Trump has expressed support for a 16-week national abortion ban. He has thus far remained mum on the possibility of limits on mifepristone access.