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(3/8/2006)
Poll Finds South Dakotans Evenly Divided on Abortion Ban National survey finds 55% of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong most of the time March 7, 2006--On March 6, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds (R) signed a sweeping abortion ban that allows the procedure only when needed to save the life of the pregnant woman. A Rasmussen Reports survey finds that South Dakota voters are evenly divided on the issue--45% support the ban the governor just signed, and another 45% oppose it. Interest in the issue is strong--92% of likely voters are following the news about the bill, including 61% who are following it "very closely." The poll also found that most South Dakota voters (55%) know someone who has had an abortion. Sixty percent (60%) say abortion is morally wrong most of the time. Forty-four percent (44%) say it is too easy for a woman to get an abortion in South Dakota. Twenty-five percent (25%) say that it's too hard while 19% say that the balance is "about right." The survey was conducted after the legislation had passed but before it was signed by the Governor. Governor Rounds enjoys high Job Approval ratings and is seeking reelection. Democrats in the state have not been able to find a challenger. Rounds issued a statement saying "In the history of the world, the true test of a civilization is how well people treat the most vulnerable and most helpless in their society. The sponsors and supporters of this bill believe that abortion is wrong because unborn children are the most vulnerable and most helpless persons in our society. I agree with them.” Supporters expect judicial challenges of the ban to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, giving the current slate of justices a chance to reconsider Roe v. Wade. A national survey conducted by Rasmussen Reports found that 55% of Americans believe abortion is morally wrong most of the time, while 32% disagree. Americans under 50 are a bit more likely than their elders to believe that abortion is morally wrong. Among those who know someone who has had an abortion, most (55%) believe the procedure is morally wrong most of the time. This fact suggests that many Americans are faced with the emotional complexity of an issue that activists on both sides want to paint in simplistic, theoretical terms. The Rasmussen Reports survey found that 47% of Americans believe it is too easy for a woman to get an abortion in the United States. Twenty-one percent (21%) say it is too hard, while 21% say the balance is about right.
The South Dakota survey was a telephone survey of 500 Likely Voters, conducted by Rasmussen Reports February 28, 2006. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 4.5 percentage points at the midpoint with a 95% level of confidence.
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