Pro-Life Positions Get Positive Election Results

The table below illustrates this point.

And where do Americans stand today? The latest USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows what Gallup polls have been showing since 1975: Most Americans take a pro-life position even if they do not call themselves "pro-life."

The poll reveals that only one in four Americans, 27%, say abortions should be legal under any circumstances. The rest either say abortions should be illegal in all circumstances (16%) or that abortion should be legal only under certain rare circumstances, such as rape, incest or to save the life of the mother (55%). This means that 71% of Americans oppose 97% or more of all abortions in the United States. However, this opposition does not translate into whether people consider themselves "pro-life" or "pro-choice."

The poll shows that people who consider themselves "pro-choice" are no longer a majority. The figure is 48%, down from a high of 56% three years ago. The number identifying themselves as "pro-life" has risen from 36% three years ago to 42%.

Looking to the next elections, just under one in five, 19%, say that a candidate's views on abortion must match theirs to get their vote; in close races, that could easily be the margin of victory for a pro-life candidate.

National Poll	% Who Voted On Abortion	% Who Voted On Abortion
		Who Voted for Pro-Life Candidate	Who Voted for "Pro-Choice" Candidate
1988 ABC News exit poll	33	57	42
1992 VRS Media exit poll	13	55	36
1994 Wirthlin Worldwide poll	26	67	33
1996 Wirthlin Worldwide poll	30	57	43
1998 Wirthlin Worldwide poll	22	59	41
Figures for 1988, 1992 and 1996 are the vote for President; Figures for 1994 and 1998 are for the congressional elections.