Here's Where Democrats and Republicans Agree on Abortion

Common ground often exists on issues where you’d least expect it. Abortion is no exception.

According to major pollsters, there is deep disagreement in the U.S. on abortion legality and access, and Americans are closely divided over whether a pregnant woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion if she wants one for any reason.

Related: AllStances™: Should Abortions Be Legal or Banned?

But within that broader debate are many areas of agreement that get less attention from biased news sources. Here are a few examples of data and stories to support that:

• A 2022 op-ed from Wall Street Journal’s opinion section (Lean Right bias) highlighted an abortion provider and a pro-life lawyer who jointly argue for the public to find agreement on aid for pregnant women addicted to drugs; treatment and follow-up care for crack-cocaine babies; reducing teen pregnancy; increasing the availability of pre-natal and post-natal care; and providing financial assistance for single-parent households.
• 2022 data from Pew Research Center (Center) shows that women in both parties have thought more about abortion than men, and 52% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans agree that how long a woman has been pregnant should be a factor in whether it is legal for her to get an abortion. 
• 2022 data from NBC News (Lean Left) found that 94 % of Democrats, 88% of independents and 76% of Republicans agreed that women should be able to access abortion in cases of rape or incest. 86% of Republicans, 95% of Democrats, and 93% of independents also support abortion in the case that the mother's life in endangered. 

• 2021 data from Pew Research Center says that majorities of women (70%) and men (69%) said that they do not want Roe v. Wade completely overturned.

• 2021 data from Associated Press (Lean Left) and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 61% of Americans say abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances in the first trimester of a pregnancy. 65% said abortion should usually be illegal in the second trimester, and 80% said that about the third trimester.

• 2018 data from Gallup (Center bias) says that 83% think abortion should be legal in the first trimester when the woman's life is endangered, and 77% think first-trimester abortions should be legal when the pregnancy is the result of rape.

• 2011 data from Gallup found that large percentages of the U.S. population are in favor of requiring informed consent for women (86% of pro-choice adults and 87% who are pro-life) and making abortion illegal in the third trimester (79% of pro-choice adults and 94% of pro-life adults).
   

See more examples of common ground on issues where you might not expect to find it:

• Democrats and Republicans Actually Agree on Many Policing Reforms
• Unexpected Overlaps: Republican Voters Believe Humans Contribute to Climate Change, Support Limiting Emissions
• Republicans and Democrats Actually Agree on These Gun Restriction Policies
• Democrats and Republicans Actually Agree on These Immigration Views and Policies
• Democrats and Republicans Actually Both Support These Free Speech Positions

Henry A. Brechter is the Managing Editor of AllSides. He has a Center bias.