According to Politico's Andy Barr, the Gallup results are encouraging to life-affirming activists who who seen the election of a pro-abortion president who is almost certain to choose a pro-abortion nominee to fill the upcoming vacancy or retiring Supreme Court justice David Souter.
"This is promising news," Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) told Politico through a spokeswoman. "Every life is precious and has purpose."Gallup reports that its survey found that the percentage of Americans who identify as "pro-life" jumped from 44 percent to 51 percent in the last year. Those who identify as "pro-choice" dropped from 50 percent to 42 percent over the same period of time.
- JP
I would not go so far as to say that Palin was THE factor in the changing opinion on abortion, but I would certainly say she was a big factor. My wife always voted democrat, and was always pro-choice, I usually voted republican, and the abortion issue wasn't important to me. In Nov my wife voted republican for the very first time, and now considers herself pro-life, and I have also come around to the pro-life point of view. If that can happen in my home, I'm sure it has happened in many others as well.
ReplyDeleteGreg, I agree. As much as I admire and support Gov. Palin, saying that she was THE reason for the shift in opinion on abortion is just not supported in the absence of empirical data.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure she made SOME kind of a positive difference, but it's impossible to measure that without a question on the survey asking the respondent if the governor's compelling story contributed to a change in their way of thinking on the issue.
- JP