July 27, 2005 - Supreme Court Nominee Should Speak Up On Abortion, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll; Bush Approval Drops To New Low
By a 61 - 32 percent margin, American voters say U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts should publicly state his position on abortion, but voters are divided on whether the Senate should refuse to confirm Roberts if he doesn't speak up, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. While 43 percent say the Senate would be justified in voting against Roberts if he doesn't explain his position, 47 percent say the Senate would not be justified.
American voters approve 44 - 27 percent, with 29 percent undecided, of President George W. Bush's nomination of Roberts.
American voters support the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v Wade decision 65 - 30 percent, the highest level of support in two years of national polls by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University.
A total of 83 percent of voters say "the views of the majority of Americans" should have a "great deal" or "some" influence on the Senate confirmation process. But only 35 percent of voters believe that majority views actually have any influence.
"Don't ask; don't tell? It don't work in this case. Voters to Roberts: We want to know where you stand on Roe v Wade. Voters to the Senate: You should listen to us when voting on Roberts, but you probably won't," said Maurice Carroll, Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Looking at American voter attitudes about abortion, the poll finds:
* 20 percent say abortion should be legal in all cases;
* 37 percent say abortion should be legal in most cases;
* 24 percent say abortion should be illegal in most cases;
* 12 percent say abortion should be illegal in all cases.
While these findings represent a slight shift in favor of abortion, voters continue to have notable exceptions:
* 70 - 24 percent in favor of a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion;
* 74 - 21 percent in favor of parental notification before a minor can get an abortion;
* 76 - 15 percent against late-term or partial birth abortion except to save the life of the mother.
"If the judges listen to the people, they'll stick with Roe v Wade but support the three limitations that are talked about - parental notification, a waiting period and a ban on partial-birth abortion," Carroll said.
"It's a clich‚ in the polling business: Even though only people from the ends of the spectrum get the attention, Americans always poll in the middle on abortion."
President Bush's Approval
American voters disapprove of the job President George W. Bush is doing 53 - 41 percent, his lowest approval rating since becoming President. This compares to a 50 - 44 percent disapproval in a May 25 Quinnipiac University poll.
Voters disapprove 60 - 30 percent of the way Congress is doing its job and approve 50 - 39 percent of the way the Supreme Court is doing its job.
"The judges outscore the President and Congress on job performance," Carroll said.
From July 21 - 25, Quinnipiac University surveyed 920 registered voters nationwide. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points.
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x11385.xml?ReleaseID=820