A recent report by the Pew Research Center has revealed that a majority of Catholics in the United States believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, in contrast to the official stance of the Catholic church. The findings come at a time when abortion has emerged as a key political issue heading into the 2024 election.
According to the Pew Research survey, approximately six out of ten Catholics in the U.S. support the legalization of abortion, with 39% stating that it should be legal in most cases, and 22% saying it should be legal in all cases. On the other hand, 28% of respondents believe that abortion should be illegal in most cases, while 11% think it should be illegal in all cases.
The percentage of Catholics who support the legalization of abortion has seen a slight increase from 2020, when 56% of Catholics held this view. This shift in opinion reflects changing attitudes towards abortion within the Catholic community in the United States.
The Pew survey also highlighted the significant number of Catholics in the country, with approximately 20% of Americans identifying as Catholic. This translates to around 52 million Catholic adults in the U.S., making them a significant voting bloc with the potential to influence political outcomes.
Abortion has become a prominent issue in the lead-up to the 2024 election, especially following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. Democrats have capitalized on this issue by supporting abortion rights, winning races where abortion was a main issue, and passing state ballot measures in favor of abortion rights. In contrast, former President Donald Trump recently stated that he believes the issue of abortion should be handled at the state level, sparking criticism from supporters of abortion rights.
Despite the traditional alignment of Catholics with the Republican Party, the Pew survey revealed that the divide between the two parties among registered Catholic voters is not as wide as one might expect. Approximately 52% of Catholics who are registered to vote stated that they align with or lean towards the Republican Party, while 44% expressed the same sentiment towards the Democratic Party. This division is more pronounced than it was in 2020 when the split between supporters of Trump and Biden was more even among U.S. Catholics.
