(CN) – Amid conservative state legislators passing the strictest abortion bans in the nation, a new poll released Wednesday shows that a majority of Americans oppose such bans.
The Morning Consult/Politico survey found that 56% of registered voters stood opposed to laws like those passed in Alabama, which bans almost all abortions except for when the mother’s health is in danger, and Georgia, which bans abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat at around six weeks.
Of the 56% of those against such laws, 44% said they were strongly opposed to them. Only one in three of those polled said they supported similar laws.
The recently passed laws have drawn comments and criticism from politicians nationwide.
“Alabama just passed a near-total ban on abortion,” Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York tweeted. “No exceptions for rape or incest. Doctors could face 99 years in prison for providing abortions. This is a war on women and it’s time to fight like hell.”
President Donald Trump took to Twitter over the weekend to add his own commentary about the subject.
“As most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions – Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother – the same position taken by Ronald Reagan,” Trump tweeted on Saturday.
The laws are expected to face legal challenges while several pro-abortion rights protests have taken place across the country.
At a “Stop the Ban” rally Tuesday at the University of Michigan, former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards slammed male lawmakers for passing the state abortion bans.
“Here’s the punchline: Do you know the thing that those legislators have in common? They’re never going to be pregnant. They’re never going to actually face the issues we deal with every single day of our lives,” Richards said.
State lawmakers are using the bans to challenge Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that ruled women have a right to abortions. While lawmakers seek to overturn the decision, the poll reveals that most Americans want to keep it in place.
Of the registered voters polled, 52% said they oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, with only 27% supporting the action.
In a similar survey released Wednesday by the Quinnipiac University National Poll, 65% percent of registered voters said they agree with Roe v. Wade, compared to just 27% who said they disagree.
"There is little ambivalence as recent legislation in Alabama, Missouri and other states renews an emotional national debate over abortion," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "Americans are in agreement on upholding one of the country's most contentious rulings.”
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