New poll: Majority of Americans identify as pro-choice, but most support some legal limits to abortion
A new Marist Poll sponsored by the Knights of Columbus shows 62 percent of Americans identify as pro-choice, while 37 percent identify as pro-life. Despite identifying as pro-choice, a majority of respondents (57%) support limiting elective abortion to the first trimester in most circumstances. Sixty-three percent of Americans believe healthcare professionals with religious objections should not be legally required to participate in abortions. Eighty-eight percent of respondents believe that laws can protect both the mother and her unborn child. The poll results were released on January 22, the day before the 53rd annual March for Life.
about 1 month ago
A Marist Poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus surveyed 1,408 U.S. adults from January 12-13, 2026, and was released on January 22, ahead of the March for Life.1 2 3 4 5
The poll highlights a divide between self-identification and support for restrictions.1 2
62% of Americans identify as pro-choice, while 37% identify as pro-life.1 2 3 4
Among Catholics, 44% are pro-life overall, rising to 58% for practicing Catholics versus 31% for non-practicing.1 3
67% favor some legal limits on abortion, with 57% supporting restrictions by the end of the first trimester.1 2 3 4 5
Only 32% support abortion at any time up to birth; 37% believe most abortions should be illegal, often allowing exceptions for rape, incest, or the mother's life.1 3
59% support requiring an in-person doctor visit for chemical abortion drugs.1 3 4
54% oppose U.S. taxpayer funding for abortions, and 69% oppose funding overseas; 63% back conscience protections for healthcare workers.1 2 3 4 5
84% support pregnancy resource centers that aid mothers without performing abortions.1 2 3 4 5
88% believe laws can protect both mother and unborn child.2 5
Marist Poll Director Barbara Carvalho noted a "consensus" for limits with exceptions, unchanged since the 2022 Dobbs decision.1 2 3 4 5
The poll reflects broad views, including 68% non-religious respondents and balanced party representation.5
Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly emphasized majority support for restrictions and pregnancy centers.1 2 3 4 5
He cited Pope Leo XIV's "State of the World" address on life's "priceless gift" and the ethical duty to unborn life.1 2 3 4
Investigate how Catholic doctrine shapes American abortion attitudes
Catholic doctrine presents a clear and absolute prohibition against abortion, viewing it as the deliberate killing of an innocent human life from the moment of conception. This teaching, rooted in natural law, Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium, shapes the attitudes of American Catholics by framing the unborn as persons deserving inviolable respect. "From the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth." Modern science confirms this individuality, and even the mere probability of personhood demands absolute protection. Sacred Scripture, while not explicitly addressing deliberate abortion, extends "You shall not kill" to the unborn, as God forms them in the womb (Ps 139:13-16). Early Christian writers like Athenagoras and Tertullian equated abortion with murder, a stance upheld unanimously through Church history. Procured abortion is "particularly serious and deplorable," an "unspeakable crime" per Vatican II, obscuring moral sense in society. No circumstances justify it; it incurs automatic excommunication. This doctrine fosters attitudes of reverence for life, rejecting euphemisms like "interruption of pregnancy."
Pope John Paul II explicitly linked abortion to Catholic Social Teaching (CST), comparing the unborn's oppression to the workers' plight in Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum. "Just as a century ago it was the working classes which were oppressed... so now, when another category of persons is being oppressed in the fundamental right to life, the Church feels in duty bound to speak out with the same courage." The unborn are the "weak and defenseless" whose rights demand defense as part of the Church's cry for the poor. Yet, abortion has been somewhat neglected in CST documents, first mentioned substantively in Paul VI's Octogesima Adveniens (1971), due to its recency as a mass-scale issue and CST's historical economic focus. Evangelium Vitae (1995), though not strictly a social encyclical, reframes abortion as a social justice imperative. This integration urges Catholics to view opposition to abortion not as bioethics alone but as core to societal justice, influencing attitudes toward policy and culture.
Catholic doctrine manifests in U.S. advocacy, particularly against taxpayer funding of abortion via the Hyde Amendment, supported bipartisanly since 1976. USCCB testimony emphasizes that polls show consistent opposition: 67% against tax-funded abortion (including 60% favoring health reform), 68% of women opposing it in insurance, and 58% to 35% against in 2013. A 2024 Marist poll found 56% of low-income Americans and 61% without college degrees oppose funding, with even 29% of pro-choice respondents agreeing.[12†L notes1-2] Americans reject abortion as a "desirable good," aligning with doctrine's view of it as tragic. Doctrine shapes attitudes by promoting conscientious objection: "There is no obligation in conscience to obey [laws legitimizing abortion]... instead there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them." Legislators may support restrictive laws to limit harm without illicit cooperation. Historical USCCB efforts, like Cardinal Krol's 1974 testimony equating abortion deaths to wartime casualties, underscore urgency.
In American politics, Catholic doctrine keeps abortion central, bedeviling voting consciences amid tensions with other CST issues like immigration. Post-Dobbs, it fuels debates on Catholic compatibility with democracy, yet reinforces pro-life stances. USCCB letters urge funding support for mothers over abortion, noting it compounds women's hardships (40-75% relationship breakdown post-abortion). This promotes attitudes favoring life-affirming policies, echoing doctrine's call to resist unjust laws like Pharaoh's. Broad support for conscience protections—strong majorities oppose forcing participation—mirrors Church emphasis on moral non-cooperation.
Catholic doctrine profoundly shapes American abortion attitudes by instilling a vision of life as sacred from conception, integrating it into social justice, and fueling policy advocacy that resonates beyond Catholics. Polls reveal this influence in widespread opposition to funding and promotion, fostering a culture prioritizing alternatives to abortion. While challenges persist, the Church's consistent witness calls for courageous defense of the voiceless.