The latest Marist Poll, commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, surveyed more than 1,000 adults on “Americans’ Opinions on Abortion” and found that most Americans agree that abortion in the United States should be limited and that tax dollars should not go to fund abortions in the US or internationally.

According to the poll, “while Americans who call themselves pro-choice (53 percent) outnumber those who describe themselves as pro-life (43 percent), most Americans believe that abortion should be limited to the first three months of pregnancy, if it’s permitted at all. A slim majority of respondents said abortion either shouldn’t be permitted at all or should be legal only in cases where a mother’s life is in danger or when she has been the victim of rape or incest.”

“Though supporters of unlimited legal abortion often claim that an overwhelming majority of Americans supports the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, the Marist poll results suggest otherwise. Almost two-thirds of respondents said that if the Court reconsiders Roe, it should either make abortion illegal or allow restrictions on abortions as determined by each state. Less than one-third said the Court should maintain the position that abortion should be legal without any restrictions.”

20 percent of Democrats who were surveyed described themselves as pro-life, despite the fact that the Democratic Party has become increasingly in favor of radical pro-abortion laws.

There is consensus across political and religious lines that appeared in the poll on the subject of taxpayer funds going to pay for abortions. Among those polled, nearly six in ten Americans (58%) oppose using tax dollars to pay for a woman’s abortion. A majority of independents (65%) and a notable proportion of Democrats (31%) oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.

The Hyde Amendment has long enjoyed bipartisan support in restricting the use of federal taxes to pay for abortion in the US.

Likewise, a full three-fourths of those polled (77%) either oppose or strongly oppose American tax money going to support abortion in other countries. The policy restricting US funding for international organizations that perform or promote abortion—the so-called Mexico City Policy—was overturned by President Biden despite the fact that according to the survey, a majority of Americans in Biden’s own party disagree with him. A slight majority (55 percent) of Democrats said they do not want the U.S. to fund abortion globally, and nearly two-thirds of pro-choice Americans agreed. Independent voters feel even more strongly: Eighty-five percent said they oppose U.S. funding of overseas abortions.

Finally, the poll suggests that most Americans, including those who are generally supportive of legal abortion, tend to oppose abortions chosen after an unborn child is diagnosed with Down syndrome. Seventy percent of respondents said they

oppose such abortions, and a majority of pro-choice respondents and Democrats agreed.

Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus said of the poll results, “Amidst the harsh political divides in our country, clear bipartisan majorities support abortion restrictions and do not want their tax dollars paying for abortion abroad. Our polling has shown consistently over the past decade that policies that promote abortion on demand paid for by taxpayers are divisive and out of step with American public opinion.

“The American people show consensus and restraint on this issue, and we hope that our elected officials and policy makers will heed this call for unity when there is far too much that divides us in our politics today,” Anderson added.