Poll Shows Americans Don't Want to Fund Abortions With Tax Dollars

Brittany M. Hughes | January 28, 2021
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A new Marist poll reveals public support for abortion restrictions continues to grow and taxpayers’ desire to pay for abortions is declining, even as President Joe Biden is poised to sign a slew of executive orders to increase abortion access – and taxpayer funding.

According to the new poll, which is conducted annually and released by the Knights of Columbus, a full three in four Americans – including many who say they’re pro-choice – say they want to see at least some restrictions on elective abortion. Previous polls from Gallup have consistently shown that most Americans believe abortions should be limited to the first trimester of pregnancy, with the vast majority saying elective abortions shouldn’t be allowed at all in the last trimester.

On top of that, the new survey also shows the vast majority of Americans don’t want their taxpayer dollars being used to fund abortions outside the United States, with 77 percent (including 55 percent of Democrats) saying they “oppose” or “strongly oppose” using tax dollars to support international abortion - up from 75 percent who answered similarly each of the past two years.

Even 64 percent of self-identified “pro-choice” respondents said they are opposed to using tax dollars to fund abortions overseas. By contrast, only 19 percent of all respondents said they either “support” or “strongly support” funding abortions outside of the U.S.

But the clear lack of public support for spending American tax dollars on international abortions doesn’t seem to matter much to congressional Democrats and newly-elected President Joe Biden, who is set on Thursday to re-instate the Mexico City Policy, an executive order that will free up U.S. aid to overseas organizations that provide or refer abortions. The policy has been reinstated by Democrat presidents and reinstalled by Republican ones, including most recently President Donald Trump, since 1984.

But while funding abortions overseas is a clear sticking point with the vast majority of Americans, it looks like most taxpayers aren’t big fans of seeing their money go to fund abortions within the United States, either. 

A majority of Americans (58%) said they oppose using taxpayer money to fund abortions within the United States. That includes 83 percent of Republicans, 31 percent of Democrats, and 65 percent of Independents.

But, just as with abortion funding overseas, the will of the people isn’t of much concern to congressional Democrats, many of whom have already vowed to repeal the Hyde Amendment. The measure, which has been attached as a rider each year to congressional spending bills since 1976, prohibits federal tax dollars from being used to pay for elective abortions in the United States.

President Biden, a supposed Catholic who once openly supported Hyde, has flip-flopped his position under pressure from abortion advocates and now says he will work with Congress to repeal Hyde and free up millions in abortion funding against the will of most Americans – and the consciences of tens of millions of pro-lifers.

 

 

 

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