Supermajority of U.S. women ages 18-49 support legal abortion

Protestors march in support of abortion rights following a Women's Wave rally in Lansing on Oct. 8, 2022. (Andrew Roth | Michigan Advance)

While abortion remains one of the most contentious issues separating the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates, a new survey finds that regardless of political affiliation, nearly 15% of women of reproductive age have had an abortion at some point in their life, while three-quarters of those same women believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases.

Those findings were among the survey results released this month by the nonprofit KFF think tank, which polled more than 3,900 women ages 18 to 49 from May 13 to June 18.

Key results of the survey

• One in seven of the women surveyed (14%) have had an abortion at some point in their life. Larger shares of Black (21%) and Hispanic (19%) women report having had an abortion compared to 11% of White women. Similar shares of women who identify as Republicans, Democrats, and independents report having had an abortion.
• Three in four reproductive age women in the United States think abortion should be legal in most or all cases (74%). The majority support a nationwide right to abortion (70%), oppose a nationwide abortion ban at 15 weeks (64%), and oppose leaving it up to the states to determine the legality of abortion (74%).
• Nearly one in ten (8%) women of reproductive age personally know someone who has had difficulty getting an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned, including 11% of Hispanic women and 13% of women living in states with abortion bans.
• Among women of reproductive age who report knowing someone personally who has had difficulty getting an abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned, many say they had to travel out of state for care (68%), did not know where to go (40%), and/or did not have the money to cover the cost (35%).
• More than six in ten women of reproductive age (63%) are concerned that they, or someone close to them, would not be able to get an abortion if it was needed to preserve their life or health, while 64% are concerned abortion bans may affect the safety of a potential future pregnancy for themselves or someone close to them.
• Less than half of reproductive age women in the United States are aware of the current status of abortion policy in their state (45%). Nearly a quarter describe the status incorrectly (23%) and a third are unsure about the status of abortion in their state (32%).
• More than a quarter (26%) of reproductive age women say if they needed or wanted an abortion they would not know where to go nor where to find information.
• Nearly one in five women (17%) of reproductive age report they have changed their contraceptive practices as a result of Roe being overturned, including starting birth control, getting a sterilization procedure, switching to a more effective method, or purchasing emergency contraceptive pills to have on hand.
• While two-thirds of women have heard about medication abortion pills, only about one-fifth (19%) of women say people in their state can get medication abortion pills online.

The results of the survey are likely to assist the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, which has pitched not only abortion rights, but also reproductive rights such as contraception and in vitro fertilization (IVF), as major issues that set it apart from the campaign of Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.

Whereas Trump has been dogged by Democrats for his connections to Project 2025, the authoritarian blueprint for a potential second term that seeks to implement a national ban on abortion , Harris was promoting her support for abortion rights long before President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her as his replacement.

Harris launched a “ Fight for Reproductive Freedoms ” tour in early 2024, which included a visit to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota, in which she was believed to be the first sitting president or vice president to tour an abortion clinic.

Trump has said abortion policy should be left up to individual states. However, in the wake of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe vs. Wade , a decision made possible by the three appointments he made to the court, some states, like Michigan, have enshrined abortion rights into their individual state constitutions, while many other states, such as Texas, have effectively banned the procedure for the vast majority of women.

“Two years after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, 14 states have banned abortion, and 11 states have implemented gestational restrictions between 6 and 22 weeks LMP (last menstrual period),” stated the KFF survey. “Even in states with few abortion restrictions, access to abortion services can be limited by lack of providers, poor coverage, and other factors.”

While Michigan voters previously approved a statewide right to an abortion, several regulations, including a 24-hour waiting period, remain on the books and are being challenged in court .

Previous polling by KFF found a disparity in enthusiasm among female voters in states like Arizona, which has an abortion rights ballot measure this November, versus those in states like Michigan, which approved a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access in 2022.

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