CBS News/New York Times Abortion Poll, July 1989

In this nationwide survey on abortion issues, respondents were asked whether there were more advantages to being a man or woman in our society, whether abortion should be legal or illegal, whether they approved of the recent Supreme Court decision regarding abortion, and if they knew the effects of this decision. Respondents were asked under what circumstances they thought abortion should be legal (e.g., possibility of birth defects, rape, unmarried motherhood, health risk to the woman, age of the female, and whether the pregnancy would force a teenager to quit high school or a professional women to interrupt her career), and whether they favored or opposed possible restrictions on abortion such as requiring parental consent and prohibiting public employees or hospitals from performing abortions. In addition, respondents' opinions were sought concerning government regulation of abortion, the reasonableness/extremism of pro- and anti-abortionists, whether abortion was murder, and the importance of the women's movement in the United States. Background information on respondents includes marital status, parental status, political party affiliation, age, income, sex, religious preference, education, and race.