Nearly half of voters say abortion too easy

WASHINGTON (BP)--Nearly half of the voters continue to believe it is too easy to obtain an abortion in the United States, according to a recent survey by Rasmussen Reports.

The poll, released Aug. 16, found 48 percent of American voters believe an abortion is too easily procured, while 23 percent think the degree of difficulty is about right and 14 percent feel it is too difficult. Fourteen percent say they are unsure.

The results were largely consistent with what Rasmussen has found for the last four years. In 2007, 45 percent said it was too easy to get an abortion. That poll, however, showed 22 percent thought it was too difficult, meaning the number of those adopting that viewpoint has fallen eight points.

In other findings in the telephone survey of likely voters conducted Aug. 11-12:

-- 54 percent believe abortion is morally wrong most of the time. Women hold this belief more than men by 58-49 percent.

-- 61 percent say abortion is at least somewhat significant in terms of how they will vote in November, and, of those, 33 percent believe it is very important.

-- Pro-lifers are twice as likely as pro-choicers to say abortion is an issue that will be important in their vote this fall.

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Tom Strode is Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press.