Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com says the support for abortion has been dropping since the Dobbs decision last year, and now, more Americans than not want abortions either completely illegal or legal only in a few, very rare circumstances.
"49% take one of those two pro-life positions; 47% take a pro-abortion position, saying all abortion should be legal or legal in most circumstances," he reports. "So the polling is showing that Americans are moving back into a pro-life direction after the Dobbs decision."
Meanwhile, the mainstream media is only reporting the top line of the poll, which shows that 69% say abortion should be legal in the first three months of pregnancy. "Broader support for abortion rights continues post-Dobbs," the Gallup headline reads.
But Ertelt says that does not account for the rare situations in which they think abortion should be legal.
"That doesn't mean that Americans want abortions legal wholesale; it only means, from this subsequent question … they want abortions legal in very rare circumstances," he explains. "In other words, the Gallup poll is showing yes, Americans support legal abortion in their first trimester, but only in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother. And, of course, as we know, those situations account for approximately 2% of all abortions."
To put it in other terms, 49% of Americans oppose 100% of abortions, or they oppose 98% of abortions.
"So, half of America takes a pro-life position, and that number has increased since this time last year," Ertelt summarizes.
That shift is already affecting a "sellout" congresswoman in Oregon.
When Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R) was running for office, and for a time after she claimed victory, she opposed taxpayer funding of abortion at all levels. But now that Congress is nearing a vote on the issue, Tom McClusky of CatholicVote tells AFN she has changed her mind and announced she will oppose the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act and vote for government funding of abortion.
"In response to that, Catholic Vote, who supported her in her election [in] a very liberal state … has rescinded their endorsement of her," McClusky relays. "We would be more than happy to find somebody to replace her who would actually live up to the promises they make."
According to Chavez-DeRemer's staff, the congresswoman feels inclined to pour federal tax dollars into terminating preborn children because the state does not currently do so.
"I will not support federal action on limiting taxpayer funding for abortion and will continue pushing back against efforts to bring a proposal to the House floor," the congresswoman declared in a recent statement. "The Dobbs decision made clear that it's an issue that should be decided at the state level, and Oregonians recently rejected efforts to limit taxpayer-funded abortion overwhelmingly."
LifeNews.com says that appears to be in reference to a 2018 failed ballot initiative in Oregon that would have prohibited taxpayer funding of abortion in the liberal state. But CatholicVote points out that Chavez-DeRemer was not elected statewide; she was elected in a swing district by voters who knew she opposed taxpayer funding for abortion.
"If the 5th District wanted a pro-abortion extremist, they would have elected her opponent," asserts CatholicVote Political Director Josh Mercer.
"The explanation they're giving is weak," McClusky adds. "My personal belief, and the belief of CatholicVote, is that it's cowardice, that they are afraid of the abortion Left and that they'll come after them."
He also points out that pro-life members of Congress who betray their constituents always meet with defeat afterward because, in CatholicVote President Brian Burch's words, "Nobody likes a sellout."
