A majority of Americans support limiting abortion after 20 weeks, rather than the 24-week limit imposed by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, a Washington Post/ABC News poll reveals.
By 56 percent to 27 percent, more Americans would prefer to impose limits on abortions after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy rather than the 24-week mark established by the Supreme Court, according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll.
An additional 10 percent of those surveyed volunteered that they would prefer to outlaw abortion in the United States altogether or limit it sooner than 20 weeks after fertilization.
The poll also highlights ongoing support for abortion in the United States, with "55 percent of those polled saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases and 41 percent saying it should be illegal in most or all cases."
The poll reflects a broader trend of declining support for abortion. The number of people who consider themselves "pro-choice," for example, dropped to a record low last year and has fallen 15 points over the last 17 years, according to a Gallup poll.
Many states and the House of Representatives have acted in recent months to curtail abortion after 20 weeks.
The House passed a bill in June that would outlaw abortion after 20 weeks. Republican women led the push on the House floor for the bill, which contends that babies can feel pain 20 weeks after conception.
Multiple other states have passed similar abortion bans, with the debate over a Texas bill garnering the most media attention nationally after a state senator, Wendy Davis (D), filibustered the bill.
The bill subsequently passed. Davis, reportedly considering a run for governor, has since come to Washington, D.C., to raise money.