That Gallup Abortion Poll

Posted on 05/17/2009 at 5:01 pm by Bob Cesca

That new Gallup poll on abortion is ridiculous and misleading. It always has been.

Chiefly because it defines the issue based upon the terms “pro-life” and “pro-choice” while underscoring that suddenly more Americans are pro-life.

What about me? I consider myself pro-life, anti-abortion and pro-choice. In other words, I appreciate the sanctity of human life. I’m not particularly fond of abortion. And I support a woman’s right to choose whether or not she wants to carry a pregnancy to term. So if Gallup contacted me with this poll, how the shit would I have responded?

I tend to believe that when most Americans are asked about this issue in depth, their positions aren’t — and never have been — as cut and dry as the terms used to define it.

In fact, the so-called pro-life faction often employs the terms “choose” and “choice” in their rhetoric (see “choose life”). And the so-called pro-choice faction is, of course, defined by choice. Furthermore, I would wager that there are many so-called pro-choicers who are anti-abortion, in that, like me, they’re not thrilled with the idea — in the same way they’re not pro-amputation or pro-mastectomy.

So ultimately, the fact that this medical procedure remains a matter of a legal choice is absolutely the best policy.

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  • jane

    Per Gallup, “Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,015 national adults”Who the fuck has land lines anymore? This analog old fart hasn’t had one since 2005.

  • ßißiɱiɱi

    it’s pro-choice, not pro-murder, pro-suicide, or pro-death penalty. late-term procedures are a radical step taken when a pregnancy has gone horribly wrong, and the fetus is far from viable. ‘partial-birth abortions’ is a phrase they coined to make a family’s private agony sound like a conscious King Solomon-like decision to split the child in two when it’s halfway out of the birth canal. the twisted wording is all they’ye good at. beats the CRAP out of having to make a reasoned case, just *froth*froth*froth*!!

  • GItheJOE

    I hate this Culture War bullshit. I have tried to write my opinion about the matter NINE times and can’t. Fuck this bullshit and get the government out of my bedroom and back into my commercial/investment/insurance bank.

  • http://annette-justmylittlepieceoftheworld.blogspot.com/ Annette

    Josh Marshall @ TPM is accusing Maureen Dowd of Plagiarizing him.Talking Points Memo

  • WillCoSprings

    You asked-”What about me? I consider myself pro-life, anti-abortion and pro-choice. In other words, I appreciate the sanctity of human life. I’m not particularly fond of abortion. And I support a woman’s right to choose whether or not she wants to carry a pregnancy to term. So if Gallup contacted me with this poll, how the shit would I have responded?”You would have responded pro-choice, since you support a woman’s right to choose.The overwhelming majority of Americans know the difference between Pro-life and Pro-Choice. The Gallup poll, since it has been asking the same question since 1995 would have already reflected any ambiguity in the question in their results these past 14 years.I wouldn’t have too much concern over this, it’s just one poll result. If a trend develops that stays true over time, then it might warrant a closer look. Right now, no.

  • danann

    Exactly what I said; Nobody’s for abortion. Everybody’s Pro Life. And if we value our Freedom we must help preserve freedom of Choice.

  • http://homepage.mac.com/wildlifeweb/bird/flamingo/honolulu/flamingo01.jpg veralynn

    this is exactly why I could never be a republican. They want no government except for in my uterus or my bedroom.Fuck em.

  • Kevin

    One conspicuous (and, I would argue, deliberate) oversight on the part of the anti-abortionists in this dialogue concerns the repercussions of having an abortion in a land in which the practice is outlawed. Are these women–many of whom are mere teens who failed to practice safe sex–to be counted as murderers, and punished as such? Shall the several states administer lethal injections to victims of rape and incest for their decisions? What then of doctors, nurses, receptionists, etc. who maintain the clinic where the procedure occurred? Are they now accomplices to murder? Anna Quindlen wrote a splending column on this very question perhaps two years ago, and I recall a YouTube video taking it up, with surprising responses among the so-called “pro-lifers,” who skirted questions about penalty to express their “love” and concern for women “victimized” by abortion. Indeed.The beauty of the narrow mind lies in its convenient ability to tease out the full consequences of its convictions, which is why conservatives always make such great political hay out of this. Note, however, their singular failure (read: unwillingness) to put it on the ballot. It would be overwhelmingly defeated, largely because people are sensible enough to recognize worthwhile exceptions to “zero-tolerance” thinking–a fact which renders public opinion on the abortion a question of plotting points in space, rather than embracing one pole or another. Would that our discourse reflect the actual complexity of the public consciousness. I won’t hold my breath.

  • Kevin

    “Splending,” of course, being a synthesis of “splendid” and “compelling.” Expect to see it in Webster’s next year.

  • http://arkytek.blogspot.com/ ∇•B=0  Silly Ratfaced Git  ∇•D=ρ

    Bob this was an excellent essay. My position is identical to yours. I don’t care for abortion but recognize that sometimes it is the best choice for a particular person and is none of my business. The labels that are applied are ridiculous as you point out a person’s actual position can appear to be self-contradictory based on the definition of the labels. Nice job pointing that out. It *is* possible to be pro life and pro choice at the same time. Polarization is what the fanatics do.

  • allincompassing

    The hypocracy of the Catholic Church knows no bounds. For many years the Vatican has quieted many reports surrounding nuns and female parishoners that have been forced to have abortions.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/vatican-confirms-report-of-sexual-abuse-and-rape-of-nuns-by-priests-in-23-countries-688261.htmlThe supreme court ruled on this matter, because it’s an intrusion into a woman’s right of privacy, but also because it posed a medical risk to conduct abortions in the back alley fashion of the past. The fact’s are, that bringing abortions out in the open actually saves a lot of lives that would otherwise be at risk. Having worked in a Gynecologist Office I’ve seen the effects of abortion in ways most people only imagine. I’ve also helped to give birth and believe me when I say, “there’s no greater gift in life”What I hate most, is the lying religious leaders that do oppose something in public, then do just the opposite under the safety of darkness. Here’s a choice for you, Say what you mean, then Do what you say. Abortion, any woman that’s had one, knows it’s the single most difficult decision she will ever make. The Church, Government and the Public need to STFU. Fuck a Gallop poll!Sorry for the language Bob

  • Lexaburn

    I caught on to the rhetorical tricks the latent political malefactors use years ago. Just the other day I was on this very blog informing someone that I’m not “pro-gay marriage” but I am for “equal rights.” I know how the jokers keep us all fighting with busy-bodied numbskulls with all this nonsense.”Pro-life” and “pro-choice,” if some of you aren’t aware, ARE the EXACT same thing. The situation involves a female (because that’s who’s having the kid) making a decision. It’s simple to follow, but some feel the need to argue on these matters for culture’s sake. Now the proponents of the “pro-life” movement confound the issue by bringing in all sorts of minutia meant to boil the needless argument down to its barest form: life or death, sin or virtue. The debate is dishonest on its face to begin with.I’ll say no more after this conundrum:I bet if asked, the same people arguing for the “pro-life” movement are also ape the sentiments of the so-called “teabagger” protesters.Mull on that for a spell if you need to, or recognize the utter stupidity of the debate, and ridicule those silly enough to believe they’re being virtuous from stopping an individual woman from having an abortion.Oops, I said a little more than I was supposed to. Sorry.

  • kansasdem

    Our religio-nuts are no better than the Taliban when it comes to this controversy!Now, as liberal as I am, I do see some flaws in the 3 trimester BS that was arrived on many moons ago! There does seem to be neurological development between the 4th and 5th months!If it were up to me alone I’d apply what are now 3rd trimester rules a month or two earlier!But the debate never gets honest!Define the moment of conception!Oh, yeah! Condoms are evil! Birth control is evil!Horse shit!The anti-choice folks hate the morning after pill!RU486 should have been a blessing to the anti-choice crowd, but NO!No seed should go to waste! Eeeeeeeeer as long as it’s male seed!I like presenting the argument that all males must have a vasectomy by the age of 14! Then they can only get it reversed when they’ve shown true maturity!

  • gypsy

    i would rather an unplanned pregnancy from a low income household (not that this is all who have/should have abortions) to be aborted than start another generation in which most will recycle the same life issues. also, what do you guys think about “repeat offenders”? would you support mandating laws which would take away that persons (men and women) ability to reproduce?

  • GItheJOE

    Kansasdem,Age of Maturity? 65? I am not following.

  • Amy

    Nailed it. Exactly how I feel, thanks for putting it so…well rationally.

  • nitesurfer

    President Obama is right. We should work to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. So let’s do what they do in India: reduce the number of females by aborting them!

  • nitesurfer

    China, too. Selective aborts have produced something like 30 million more males than females.

  • kurt

    Wow…Pro-choicers really cannot seem to stomach the fact that they are NOT ‘pro-life’. Give it up man. You are not (on this issue) supporting the value of human life over the value of personal choice. You are supporting a person’s freedom to choose (in this case to end a life).It’s amazing that after all these years pro-choicers can still have conniptions over such straight forward labels. You favor a policy that results in death. That is the price for ‘reproductive freedom’.Also…To the peanut gallery, this is not a religious issue. It is a human rights issue.Some people favor the woman’s right to end an unwanted pregnancy, and others feel that human rights begin when human life begins.The country has been within 4 percentage points of an even split on this issue for as long as I can remember. Do you honestly believe that nearly half of our country is trying to jam religious dogma down the throats of the other half? There are atheist pro-lifers (I’m one), feminist pro-lifers, gay pro-lifers, liberal and progressive pro-lifers.Our camp is no more homogenous than yours. If you take a second to think about it, the sheer numbers involved preclude ideological uniformity.

  • kansasdem

    theJoe,It’s a bull shit argument! Intentionally!But maturity could be defined in many ways. Financially and emotionally secure?My point is that no one would force sterilization on males – because that would be horrible! But many assholes will gleefully force childbearing on any woman, under any circumstance!

  • kurt

    Hey Jane-read to the end:”Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).”

  • jane

    Hey Kurt,I call outlier.Also, I think Bob made a good point.

  • http://peggystone263@msn.com peggygeorge

    I think I was contacted on this one (or a similar poll). As soon as they presented “Are you pro-life?” with only a yes or no answer, I hung up on them. Because in normal conversation anyone would say, “Yes, I think life is a good thing!” unless they are suicidal, but of course that’s not what the question is getting at.

  • http://www.mybabydoc.com tubal reversal

    Every woman has right to dream of having a baby. Tubal reversal allows a woman the ability to conceive naturally without any harm. Although tubal ligation is considered a permanent method of birth control, but at some later stage you think that you have done something wrong and you should not have done tubal ligation. But don’t worry, in approximately 90% of cases the procedure can be reversed.

  • http://arkytek.blogspot.com/ ∇•B=0  Silly Ratfaced Git  ∇•D=ρ

    Kurt -A blastocyst or zygote is not a human life in my reckoning. You may believe differently if you please but you will not force my to believe what you believe.FYI -Vasectomies done more than 5 years ago are not reversible. After five years the epididymous becomes sieve like make vas defrens reconstruction useless.