For the first time in decades, Republicans may be able to overturn or chip away at Roe vs. Wade, the decision affirming a woman’s right to privacy that also protects abortion as a right. According to a new Axios-SurveyMonkey survey, an overwhelming majority of Americans across almost all demographic groups oppose overturning Roe. Survey respondents were more likely to oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation than support it.
Survey: Americans Overwhelmingly Support Choice
Abortion clinics in states across the country are facing a wide range of regulatory attacks designed to put them out of business. Lawsuits about these regulations could eventually make their way to the Supreme Court, giving the Court a chance to affirm, overturn, or weaken Roe vs. Wade.
To assess how Americans feel about the possibility of an end to Roe, SurveyMonkey surveyed 2,033 Americans between September 5-7, 2018. The survey asked about voting history, geographic location, demographics, political views, and other relevant factors. The entire survey is full of interesting data, and worth reading. Some highlights include:
- Only 23% of Americans want the Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade.
- Fifty-nine percent of rural voters, one of Trump’s strongest sources of support, don’t want abortion rights overturned.
- Seventy-nine percent of “never Hillary” independents think Roe should remain in place.
- Only 44% of Americans approve of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination and believe he should be confirmed. Sixty-nine percent of African-American women, 57% of Millennials ages 18-34, and 50% of suburban white women oppose Kavanaugh.
- Just 7% of respondents said Kavanaugh was the most important issue in the midterm elections, but 43% say he will be a factor.
A significant portion of those who support Kavanaugh’s nomination—about a third—also believe Roe should remain in place. This suggests that at least some Kavanaugh supporters may not realize that he could mean the end of abortion rights.
Republicans: Undermining Democracy
Republican leaders have so far remained unresponsive to massive public outcry about babies in cages, gutting health care reform, Muslim travel bans, and more. They’re unconcerned by the possibility that President Trump could be acting on behalf of Russia. So it seems unlikely that they’ll care about appointing a nominee that the overwhelming majority of the country doesn’t want.
If choice goes, women will die. If Kavanaugh overturns Roe, which is settled precedent, it marks a shift away from the rule of law. That’s what Republicans want. They’ve already shown they no longer care about power flowing from the people. For Republicans, it’s all about imposing rule on the people—especially marginalized groups—from above.
