If abortion opponents now try for major restrictions on abortion procedures in Wisconsin, they would be going against new polling data that show most state residents say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
This week, less than 48 hours before today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion and threw the issue back to the states, Marquette University released a poll of 803 registered Wisconsin voters. The survey was conducted June 14-20, 2022 and has a margin of error is +/- 4.3 percentage points.
Pollster Charles Franklin summed up how Democrats, Republicans and independents responded to the survey question about abortion rights.
"Overall, in the whole sample, about 59% legal in all or legal in most. And, just about a third illegal in all or illegal in most," Franklin said. "The extremes in that are in the 20% range, legal in all, and 11% illegal in all. And that has been true in polling on this, both at the state and national level."
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Franklin said there is a middle majority that can accept some restrictions on abortion, depending on how far the limits go. He cited polling that looks at how late in a pregnancy abortion should be allowed.
"You want substantial majorities that don't want a complete ban, and think six weeks is too little, but about an even split on 15 weeks," Franklin said.
An 1849 Wisconsin law that would ban abortions, except to save the life of the mother may now go into effect here. But abortion rights supporters are trying to block implementation of that 173-year-old document.
