PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Approximately 72% of Oregonians think that abortions should be legal, according to a statewide survey by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center.
The survey, the organization said, was conducted last month to determine how Oregonians feel about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“The topic of abortion is personal for most Oregonians,” the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center stated.
According to the survey, 70% of Oregonians are either close to someone who has had an abortion, or have had one themselves – 11% higher than the national average.
Of the 1,572 Oregonians who took the online poll, women, people who have attended college, workers earning more than $100,000 a year and Multnomah County residents were all more likely to have a personal connection to someone who’s had an abortion.
Oregon women were also more likely to support abortion than men, with approximately 76% of women showing approval for legal abortions. Sixty-seven percent of Oregon men said they support legalized abortion, comparatively.
The cause and timeliness of an abortion also impacts how Oregon residents feel about the subject. Accordting to the poll, 83% of Oregonians support abortions when prenancies are life-threatening. Support also declines rapidly as pregnancies progress, with 65% of residents approving of first-trimester abortions and 44% approving those in the second-trimester.
“I might oppose having an abortion around 22 to 24 weeks if there was universal Healthcare, better funded social programs and the ability to successfully gestate a baby outside the womb,” one Columbia County woman was quoted as saying in an OVBC press release.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade may also impact how Oregonians vote this November. Nearly half of the Oregonians polled said the ruling would not sway their voting habits for the upcoming general election. However, those who said that the ruling will change their voting behavior are reportedly 10 times more likely to cast a ballot in November.
For the upcoming election, Oregonians are almost three times more likely to vote for a pro-choice candidate than for a pro-life candidate, the OVBC poll states.