Dan Gilgoff, God & Country
Spiritual Politics's Mark Silk flags a new Gallup poll showing that the country is now evenly split between those calling themselves "pro-life" and "pro-choice":
In May, Gallup found that most Americans were identifying as pro-life for the first time since it began asking the question in 1995. The recent dip in pro-life support could be a response to the recent assassination of late-term abortion provider George Tiller. It may also speak to the passing of the Obama-at-Notre Dame controversy, which revolved around the president's and the Catholic Church's abortion stances.
Gallup notes that more Americans oppose abortion rights than did were a year ago. This is because of changes on the Republican side of the ledger:
The percentage of Republicans (including independents who lean Republican) who call themselves "pro-life" has risen by nearly 10 points over the past year, from 60% to 68%—perhaps a reaction to the "pro-choice" presidency of Barack Obama—while there has been essentially no change in the views of Democrats and Democratic leaners.
This raises the stakes for the forthcoming "common ground" plan on abortion from the White House. Those swelling ranks of GOP-leaning, pro-life independents are exactly who the Obama team is trying to appeal to.
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ComPassion of IN 9:09PM August 15, 2009
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