The vast majority of Americans who consider themselves pro-choice oppose the kind of radical abortion provisions proposed by Democrats in New York and Virginia, according to a new Americans United for Life (AUL)/YouGov poll released Tuesday.
A full 68 percent of pro-choice Americans oppose abortion the day before a child would be born, the poll found. Sixty-six percent of pro-choice Americans oppose abortion in the third trimester and another 77 percent of them oppose removing medical care for a viable child outside the womb. A majority of Americans (53 percent) identify as “pro-choice,” while a large minority (47 percent) identify as pro-life.
Americans as a whole proved even less likely to support the killing of a baby in these circumstances. Eighty percent oppose abortion the day before birth, 79 percent oppose abortion in the third trimester, and 82 percent oppose removing medical care for a viable child after birth.
“This survey vividly reveals both the American people’s common-sense appreciation for the sanctity of life and the widespread horror, even among self-identified pro-choice Americans, of new laws like New York’s that effectively allow abortion up until the moment of delivery,” Catherine Glenn Foster, president and CEO of AUL, said in a statement on the findings.
“Planned Parenthood and elected officials like Governor [Andrew] Cuomo who support abortions up to the point of birth are out of step with not only their supposed core constituents, but also our country’s essential tenets of life, liberty, and the opportunity to pursue happiness,” Foster declared. “It is our hope that the critical information brought to light here will advance the democratic process by inspiring more Americans to hold their representatives and public institutions to account.”
Last month, Gov. Cuomo (D-N.Y.) signed the Reproductive Health Act (S.B. 240) on the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade (1973). The law allows abortion throughout pregnancy — even up to the baby’s due date — in the name of protecting a woman’s health. It also repeals protections for babies who survive abortion and removes New York’s protections for wanted babies killed if a pregnant mother is physically abused.
Late last month, Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran (D-Springfield) admitted that her party’s REPEAL Act (H.B. 2491) would also make abortion legal throughout pregnancy — in the third trimester and up until the very beginning of labor. After her testimony, Democrats like Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) dropped their support for the bill.
Shortly after Tran’s shocking testimony, Gov. Ralph Northam (D-Va.) defended the bill — and went further, explaining that if a baby is born in an attempted abortion, the doctor and family should have a discussion as to whether or not to save the baby’s life. In other words, he defended infanticide — the removal of medical care for a child outside the womb, something 77 percent of pro-choice Americans oppose.
Americans are rightly disgusted by the idea of a mother aborting her unborn baby mere weeks — or days — before the child would be born. In many cases, such children could survive outside the womb. Omar L. Hamada, a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who has delivered over 2,500 babies, testified that “there’s not a single fetal or maternal condition that requires a third trimester abortion. Not one. Delivery, yes. Abortion, no.”
I want to clear something up so that there is absolutely no doubt.
I’m a Board Certified OB/GYN who has delivered over 2,500 babies.
There’s not a single fetal or maternal condition that requires third trimester abortion. Not one. Delivery, yes. Abortion, no.
— Omar L. Hamada, MD, MBA (@OmarHamada) January 23, 2019
Americans are also disgusted by the idea of leaving a child to die after birth. This practice of infanticide by exposing babies to the elements was common in the ancient world, and the early Christians opposed abortion due in part to their moral revulsion at this disgusting practice.
If third-trimester abortion, abortion up until days or moments before birth, and infanticide are morally repugnant and unpopular, why are Democrats in New York and Virginia fighting to explicitly make them legal?
The answer traces back to Roe v. Wade. Activist groups like NARAL and Planned Parenthood are terrified that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade, enabling states to craft their own laws on abortion. Democrats in New York and Virginia want to codify broad protections for abortion because they fear the current legal system will change.
Few Americans realize, however, that the current legal system is indeed this radical. Under Roe v. Wade and later Supreme Court precedent, if a doctor considers killing an unborn baby vital to save the life or health of a woman, an abortion can be performed up until the moment of birth. The Court’s precedent has an extremely vague definition for “health,” enabling a wide loophole for late-term abortion.
“Few Americans realize that when Roe v. Wade enshrined abortion into American law, it did so with practically no limits,” Tom Shakely, chief engagement officer at AUL, told PJ Media. “Abortion is often justified based on the alleged basis of maternal health, but for most of America’s post-Roe history, there has been no consistent definition for what constitutes a legitimate health reason.”
“In practice, the sort of permissive abortion law that New York has adopted simply enshrines a peculiar public right to private forms of violence upon the most vulnerable members of the human family,” Shakely declared.
According to a Knights of Columbus poll released last month, a whopping 65 percent of Americans support changes to the law that would involve repealing Roe v. Wade. Most Americans do not realize just how radical Roe v. Wade really is, but the New York law, the Virginia law, Northam’s comments, and this poll help to educate the American people.
Repealing Roe v. Wade is not the radical position, but the centrist position. Allowing states to pass their own laws on abortion will help educate the American people on these issues, and help defend the lives of the most vulnerable, born and unborn.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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