While most Americans say they’re opposed to overturning the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, most Americans support limits on abortion after 15 weeks gestation.
The Harris poll, conducted in conjunction with Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies and obtained exclusively by The Hill, was taken as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, a case surrounding Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban.
In Dobbs, a ruling in favor of the state of Mississippi, which is asking the Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision striking down the state’s 15-week abortion ban, would significantly weaken the precedent set by Roe v. Wade and upheld in the 1992 Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Based on questions asked by the justices during oral arguments last week, pro-life advocates seemed optimistic that they will rule in their favor. Following the oral arguments, pro-lifers praised Chief Justice John Roberts, a swing vote on the court, for bringing up how permissive U.S. abortion laws were compared to other countries. They also appreciated Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s listing of examples where the Supreme Court overturned precedent, seen as a rebuttal to the pro-abortion argument that the precedent of Roe v. Wade is sacrosanct.