‘Pro-life’ stance has limits, poll finds

By AARON GOULD SHEININ - asheinin@thestate.com

Forty-eight percent of South Carolina registered voters consider themselves to be “pro-life,” yet an overwhelming 83.5 percent believe a woman should be able to obtain a legal abortion in certain circumstances, according to a new poll from Winthrop University and ETV.

The poll affirms what many South Carolinians say if asked: Abortion is a difficult issue that burns hot in the public debate and forces nearly everyone to take sides.

But individual views on abortion are complicated and sometimes contradictory.

Dig deeper into the poll and a more nuanced view on abortion is evident:

• Sixty-two percent of S.C. Republicans, 35 percent of Democrats and 44 percent of independents consider themselves pro-life.

• But of those who said they were pro-life, more than 72 percent — regardless of party affiliation — said a woman should have access to a legal abortion “in certain circumstances.”

That means the pro-life movement is “not as monolithic as the people who espouse that publicly would lead you to believe,” said Winthrop University political scientist Scott Huffmon. Huffmon led the university’s research that created the poll.

It also shows that “issues in the minds of the public are rarely as black and white as they appear to be,” Huffmon said. “There are a lot of nuances. This question hammers that home.”

Issues like abortion, however, don’t offer themselves easily to nuanced positions. It’s an emotional issue, with extreme issues on both sides.

“It’s one of those issues that touches on a lot of personal issues and it oftentimes reaches into people’s spiritual lives and it becomes a very difficult issue for legislators and citizens,” said Rep. Doug Jennings, D-Marlboro, who is part of that 35 percent of Democrats who consider themselves pro-life.

But Jennings said he would rather consider himself “anti-abortion,” because he also supports the death penalty. True pro-life voters typically do not approve of capital punishment, Jennings said.

Yet Jennings is also part of the 72 percent of pro-life voters who believe there are instances where abortion is acceptable.

But what are acceptable circumstances?

“The most obvious answers to that are rape and incest and where the life or the health of the mother is put in jeopardy,” Jennings said.

Huffmon agreed, and said national surveys on the issue show the numbers riding a sliding scale. The highest majorities agree that a woman should be able to get an abortion if her life is at risk. The percentages decrease from there. For instance, smaller majorities support legal abortion in the case of rape or incest, but a majority of Americans believe abortion should not be available simply as a convenience.

The Winthrop/ETV poll did not explore voters’ responses to different sets of circumstances.

The results in South Carolina are nearly the reverse of a recent national poll that found 49 percent of Americans consider themselves “pro-choice,” compared to 42 percent of South Carolinians in the Winthrop/ETV poll. The national poll, the Gallup Values and Belief survey, was taken earlier this month and found 45 percent of Americans are pro-life.

Joe Mack, public policy director of the S.C. Baptist Convention, said he was surprised that 72 percent of pro-life South Carolinians said they support legal abortion in limited circumstances.

“I would think, at least among South Carolina Baptists, that number would be lower,” Mack said. They would believe “there should not be any reason for abortion.”

But Mack also acknowledged there would be some in his organization who would make an exception for cases where the life of the mother is in danger.

“I think there are some differences there among us as to what that dividing line is,” Mack said.

Then there are those who consider themselves strong abortion opponents but do not want to impose their views on others.

“There definitely are some out there like that,” Huffmon said.

But regardless of the actual circumstance, Huffmon said the poll makes a startling discovery.

“The No. 1 thing this question captured is there (is) at least one, perhaps extreme, but at least one circumstance that even pro-lifers say it needs to be kept legal.”

Reach Gould Sheinin at (803) 771-8658.

ABOUT THE POLL

The methodology behind the Winthrop/ETV poll

• Winthrop University’s Social and Behavioral Research Lab, in partnership with ETV, conducted the telephone poll of 670 randomly selected, registered S.C. voters from May 16-27.

• The sample was 82 percent white, 17 percent non-white.

• Fifty-six percent of the sample was female, 44 percent male.

• The breakdown by party was: 39.8 percent Republican; 25.1 percent Democrat; 32.7 percent independent.

• The margin of error ranges from plus or minus 3.79 percentage points to 6.01 percentage points.

• Calls were placed between 4 and 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays; and 1 to 8 p.m. Sundays.

• The poll is the first of four surveys of South Carolinians that Winthrop and ETV will conduct over the next year.