For the third consecutive time since May 2009, Gallup polling has found more Americans identify themselves as “pro-life” rather than “pro-choice.” A May 3 Gallup poll found that 47 percent of Americans call themselves “pro-life,” while 45 percent call themselves “pro-choice.” Gallup terms this “pro-life” position “the new normal.”

While increasing identification with the “pro-life” label spans both sexes and all age groups, adults ages 50-64 and young adults ages 18-29 saw the largest gains.

In looking at two-year averages beginning in 2000, Independents and Republicans have become more likely to call themselves “pro-life’ while Democrats have increasingly identified themselves as “pro-choice.” Gallup posits that “the trends by party identification suggest that increased political polarization may be a factor in Republicans’ preference for the “pro-life” label, particularly since Barack Obama took office.” Pro-life advocates offer other reasons, including high-profile debates over the legality of partial-birth abortion and national discourse on President Obama’s healthcare proposals.

While Americans are more readily identifying themselves as “pro-life,” interestingly, polling on the morality of abortion has remained mostly unchanged with about half of those polled saying that abortion is “morally wrong.” Just 38 percent consider abortion to be “morally acceptable.”

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