World News
Polls assess impact of abortion on health reform debate
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As the Senate prepared to begin discussing its version of health reform legislation, two national polls were assessing the impact of abortion on the debate. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Nov. 18 found that 61 percent of Americans oppose "using public funds for abortion when the woman cannot afford it," while only 37 percent support it. In response to another question, 51 percent said "women covered by private health insurance plans that are paid for by private individuals or employers" with no federal funds involved should "pay the complete costs of that abortion out of their own pockets," while 45 percent said the private health insurance plan "should cover some or all of the costs of an abortion." A separate survey released Nov. 19 by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found 3 percent of those surveyed cited abortion as a reason for their opposition to health reform proposals currently before Congress. The top responses, at 27 percent each, were that it would be too expensive and it would increase government involvement in health care.
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