Pro-life and pro-abortion Americans want to know the same thing: Three-quarters in both groups say any nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court should disclose his or her position on abortion before the Senate holds a confirmation vote.
As far as what that position should be, the issue remains a divisive one: 50 percent of Americans want a nominee who favors legal abortion, while 43 percent want the next justice to oppose it. No information was provided as to the wording of the question.
There's been speculation recently that one or more members of the nine-member court might retire in the next few weeks or months, at the end of its current term.
Seventy-three percent of Americans say the next nominee should disclose his or her position about abortion. That includes 75 percent of those who say abortion should be generally legal, and 73 percent of those who say it should be generally illegal.
Support for disclosure is broad, including majorities across age, income and education categories. And 57 percent feel strongly about it, including roughly equal numbers of people who favor legal abortion and who oppose it.
As noted, 50 percent of Americans say the next nominee should favor legal abortion in all or most cases, while 43 percent say the opposite. Most such views are firm: 69 percent of Americans feel strongly about it, including equal numbers of abortion supporters and opponents.
There's a slight difference between the sexes 52 percent of women want a nominee who's generally in favor of legal abortion, compared with 47 percent of men. About 43 percent in both groups want one who's opposed.
There's a little greater intensity of feeling on the pro-abortion side among women than among men 37 percent of women “strongly” prefer a nominee who favors legal abortion, compared with 31 percent of men. About the same number of women and men (33 percent and 36 percent respectively) strongly prefer an abortion opponent.
Preference for a pro-life nominee runs highest among political conservatives (63 percent), evangelical white Protestants (59 percent) and Republicans (58 percent, including roughly equal numbers of men and women).
Preference for a nominee who supports legal abortion is highest among liberals, Democrats and the nonreligious.
This ABC News poll was conducted by telephone June 11-15 among a random national sample of 1,029 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation were done by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.
(This article originally appeared on ABC News. Reprinted here courtesy of Steven Ertelt and the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to www.prolifeinfo.org or email infonet@prolifeinfo.org.)
