ST. LOUIS - The Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States, Roe versus Wade, turns 40 this week (Tueday) and a new poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life finds most Americans - 63 percent - want to keep it legal.
Alan Cooperman, associate director for research with the Pew Forum, says public opinion has stayed at about the same for the last 20 years. However, he says, although most people don't think the law should be changed, they seem to understand that the issue is complicated.
"Public opinion on this is not divided into two straightforward camps, as one might think."
For example, Pew's research finds nearly one in five Americans say they personally believe abortion is morally unacceptable, but don't want to make it illegal.
While the poll shows the divide over the issue has stayed about the same, Pam Fitcher, president of Missouri Right to Life, says she doesn't believe it.
"Yes, there's a lot of entrenchment, but the movement is all on the side of 'pro-life.'"
Fitcher says she believes that most people want to make abortions illegal, and that her group will continue to try to overturn Roe v. Wade and to de-fund Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood officials point out that it receives federal funding for services like family planning and contraception, but by law, no federal dollars are spent on abortions.
Pamela Sumner, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, says she's discouraged over lack of progress between the two sides on common-ground issues like prevention of unwanted pregnancies.
"We ought to be able to agree on things that would lower the number of abortions, because it's not like fun. It's not like taking a Tic-Tac and everybody just wants to line up there, for their fun abortion."
A lot of people seem to be willing to consider exceptions to the rule. Among those surveyed by Pew, whether they said abortions should be legal or illegal, more chose the phrase "in most cases" rather than "all the time." Sumner says Missourians who publicly took hard-line positions are out of touch with a lot of women.
"Missouri gave you Rush Limbaugh's 'slut' comments. Missouri gave you Aiken's 'legitimate rape' comments."
Limbaugh wound up apologizing for his remarks, and Todd Aiken was defeated by Claire McCaskill in the last Senate race. Sumner says she agrees with Planned Parenthood's position that decisions about women's reproductive health should be made by women, not politicians.
Many Americans may think politicians have better things to do with their time. Fifty-three percent told Pew that abortion was "not that important" compared with other issues facing the country.
The poll information is at pewforum.org.
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New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is sounding the alarm over the Supreme Court's decision to hear a case that could restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone.
It is the first major case related to women's reproductive rights since the Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
On Tuesday, after hearing oral arguments, the Court seemed likely to preserve access to the medication.
Cortez Masto said the country has witnessed what she calls "the tragic consequences of abortion restrictions," which started with the country's highest court.
"This just goes to show you," said Cortez Masto, "far-right extremists are going to stop at nothing to restrict women's rights when it comes to their reproductive freedom - that is why we can't give up."
Cortez Masto contended mifepristone is safe and effective and is also critical for miscarriage care.
But the case presented to the Supreme Court by anti-abortion doctors claim the Food and Drug Administration acted too quickly in removing restrictions on the drug.
If the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, mifepristone access could stop immediately in all states - including those where abortion is legal such as Nevada.
Critics of the drug say it carries significant side effects, include bacterial infections and prolonged, heavy menstrual bleeding.
While mifepristone may not be prohibited all together, restrictions on the pill could be reinstated.
Cortez Masto argued conservative groups never planned to stop with just repealing Roe v. Wade, but adds they are aiming to roll back women's rights all together.
"That is why we can't give up," said Cortez Masto. "We have to continue to use our voices and be advocates to fight for women's rights."
The Supreme Court could make a decision on the case in June.
In the Silver State, a coalition is working to get an amendment on the ballot this November to enshrine abortion rights in the Silver State's constitution.
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State Rep. Susie Lee - D-Las Vegas - said she wants women in Nevada and across the country to wake up, as she contends far-right extremists are wanting to restrict in-vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technology.
Lee joined her Democratic colleagues in calling for the passage of the Access to Family Building Act, which would establish a legal right to IVF and other services - overriding the state's effort to limit or ban access as was achieved in Alabama.
As someone who used IVF to have her own family, Lee said she feels like it is an important piece of legislation.
"I feel that any Republican who says we support IVF should be signing on to that," said Lee. "Instead, what we've seen are these non-binding resolutions. Well, if you really believe that women should have a right and families should have a right to pursue and build a family, then sign onto the bill."
Lee said only one House Republican has signed on to support the Access to Family Building Act.
In the Silver State, a coalition of reproductive rights groups have launched an effort to place an amendment on the November ballot to safeguard abortion rights in the Nevada constitution.
Organizers say they'll also aim to use frustration over the recent Alabama ruling to garner support for their ballot measure.
Alexa Solis is deputy director for the nonpartisan and nonprofit organization called Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada.
She said while it is too early to say what the Alabama decision means for IVF as a whole, she says we live in a world where people travel to states like Nevada where abortion is legal.
"So if there were more rulings or legislation or other actions that would take us in the direction of this Alabama decision," said Solis, "you could see a world in which people are once again forced to travel for care that they should be able to get in their home state."
According to a recent CBS News-YouGov poll, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe IVF should be legal.
The poll was conducted following Alabama's court ruling which ruled that frozen embryos should be considered people.
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Nearly 80% of California women age 40 and older say they are highly motivated to vote, according to a new survey from AARP.
Researchers for the new "She's the Difference" California survey polled 1,600 women and found many are highly concerned about political divisions.
Kate Bridges, senior research adviser for AARP, said older women are an influential voting bloc.
"Not only are they sizable in number, but they consistently vote," Bridges pointed out. "In the 2022 election, they cast a third of the ballots, while only making up about a quarter of the full electorate."
Survey respondents' top issues, in order, are threats to democracy, voting rights, jobs, education, political division, and inflation. Also of high importance are gun violence, election security, crime, housing costs, abortion, racism, immigration and climate change.
Lucia Del Puppo, senior vice president of Los Angeles-based FM3 Research, reported almost half of women said they are less financially secure than they expected to be at this age and they want elected officials to focus on protecting Medicare and lowering the cost of living.
"The things that were most helpful were lowering the cost of food, protecting Social Security, lowering the cost of utilities, decreasing taxes, and lowering the cost of health care."
The survey found if the election were held now, 53% of respondents would favor Democrats, 29% prefer Republicans, 4% would go with another party and 13% are undecided. Among those survey, 92% said a candidate's values are the most important criteria when deciding who gets their vote.
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