Landslide Majority Supports Legislation That Would Put Abortion Doctors Out of Business
Democrats have it in their heads that Americans believe women should be able to get abortions without even any reasonable restrictions on the practice.
A new survey shows they’re wrong.
While the poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that a majority support keeping abortion legal, they are also strongly in favor of a Louisiana law that could put many abortion doctors out of business.
Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed said they support laws, like Louisiana’s, that restrict abortions unless done by a doctor who has admitting privileges with a nearby hospital.
That majority support remained in place, at 52 percent, even when those surveyed were told that abortion complications are rare and that patients could get help at local hospitals even if the doctor does not have admitting privileges.
That survey question is related to the Louisiana abortion law that is headed to the Supreme Court.
It will be one of the first of its kind to be adjudicated by the conservative majority featuring Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, who were nominated by President Donald Trump.
The online and phone survey of 1,215 adults in the U.S. was conducted Dec. 20-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Pro-life advocates say the requirement of admitting privileges helps to protect women and save lives.
“This bipartisan legislation is necessary because Louisiana abortion providers have a long documented history of medical malpractice, disciplinary actions, and violations of health and safety standards,” Liz Murrill, Louisiana’s solicitor general, said in a statement in November.
But opponents say the law places a burden on abortion providers that will cause many clinics to close.
The Louisiana law was upheld in 2018 by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the ruling, Judge Jerry E. Smith said the “admitting-privileges requirement performs a real, and previously unaddressed, credentialing function that promotes the wellbeing of women seeking abortion.”
The Supreme Court decided in 2016 that a similar law in Texas placed an “undue burden” on the so-called woman’s right to choose.
But that was when Justice Anthony Kennedy, known for protecting abortion rights, was on the court.
Now that he has been replaced by Kavanaugh, who is far more conservative, the pro-abortion crowd is sweating.
The decision could be a bellwether for future decisions on abortion, including, someday, the possible reversal of Roe v. Wade.
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