Poll: Latino/as Hold Compassionate Views On Abortion

PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK — Poll results released today about Latino/a and African-American attitudes on abortion and reproductive health echo similar results of a joint poll by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) and the Reproductive Health Technologies Project(RHTP) announced in January. The new poll, conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, found that the majority of Latino/as say that “not judging other people” (72 percent) and “showing compassion for women in difficult circumstances” (68 percent) are very important in shaping their views on the issue of abortion.

These findings are similar to those of the NLIRH/RHTP poll, which showed that a strong majority (73 percent) of Latino/a registered voters agree that we should not judge someone who feels they are not ready to be a parent.

“Contrary to many troubling news narratives, we know that Latino/as have compassionate views on abortion, and findings in this poll underscore that,” said Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of NLIRH. “The bottom line is that most Latino/as believe a woman has the right to make personal, private decisions about abortion without politicians interfering and that we shouldn’t judge someone who feels they’re not ready to be a parent.”

“Both of these surveys confirm the nuance and diversity of views among Hispanic Americans — something over-heated political rhetoric and trite, old political labels fail to capture,” said Kirsten Moore, President of the Reproductive Health Technologies Project.

Key findings from the NLIRH/RHTP poll include:

  • A strong majority of Latino registered voters — 74 percent — agree that a woman has a right to make her own personal, private decisions about abortion without politicians interfering. More than half (57 percent) strongly agrees with the statement. Fewer than one in five Latino voters disagree (18 percent).
  • Nearly three in four Latino registered voters (73 percent) agree that we should not judge someone who feels they are not ready to be a parent. More than half (57 percent) strongly agrees with this statement.
  • Two-thirds of Latino voters (67 percent) say they would give support to a close friend or family member who had an abortion. More than four in ten (43 percent) say they would provide a lot of support. A minority (23 percent) says they would not feel comfortable offering support.
  • Most Latino voters seem willing to disagree with church leaders on the legality of abortion. Nearly seven in ten (68 percent) agree with the statement “even though church leaders take a position against abortion, when it comes to the law, I believe it should remain legal.”
  • Finally, a majority of Latino voters agree that money should not determine access to abortion. Sixty-one percent agree that the amount of money a woman has or does not have should not determine whether she could have an abortion when she needs one.

The poll memo, as well as methodology, can be found at latinainstitute.org/Latinopoll.

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The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is the only national organization working on behalf of the reproductive health and justice of the 20 million Latinas, their families and communities in the United States through public education, community mobilization and policy advocacy.

[Image courtesy NLIRH]

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