Press Release
As Trump and GOP Embrace Anti-Choice Extremism at RNC, New Polling Shows Voters in North Carolina Support Reproductive Freedom, Reject Banning Abortion
For Immediate Release: August 25, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
Strong majority support for reproductive freedom in North Carolina shows how out-of-touch Trump is with key voters
Washington, DC — As the Republican National Convention convenes this week with in-person events in Charlotte despite a global pandemic and featuring a red carpet rollout for anti-choice, anti-freedom extremists, NARAL Pro-Choice America released new polling by Public Policy Polling in North Carolina and other battleground states showing strong majority support for reproductive freedom. The new polls underscore how out-of-touch Trump and Republicans are with North Carolinians on the issue of abortion.
The new poll shows that a large majority (80%) of voters in North Carolina agree (with 62% in strong agreement) that any decision about pregnancy should be made by the woman with the support of people she loves and trusts, while just 13% disagree. This includes 83% of independent voters and 63% of Republicans. Among African-American voters, 96% agree.
“When it comes to access to abortion and reproductive freedom, Trump and the anti-choice, anti-freedom movement could not be farther out of touch with North Carolinians and the American public, and critical to winning in November is spotlighting their extreme ideology for voters to see,” said NARAL Pro-Choice America Chief Communications and Research Officer Adrienne Kimmell. “The RNC may put their radical agenda on a high pedestal and give it a loud microphone, but we know that stands in stark contrast with the vast majority of Americans’ beliefs. NARAL will work every day between now and the election to ensure voters in North Carolina understand what’s at stake for reproductive freedom and not only vote out Donald Trump, but also replace anti-choice Senator Thom Tillis with Cal Cunningham, who will protect our fundamental freedoms in the Senate.”
Other highlights from the poll:
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74% of voters in North Carolina support reproductive freedom, believe abortion should be legal, and that the government should not prevent a woman from making that decision for herself.
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Just 11% say they would only consider voting for a candidate who supports banning abortion in the November election.
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Voters in North Carolina also show strong support for respecting a woman’s freedom to make personal decisions. 64% agree that one-size-fits-all laws simply don’t work when people are making personal medical decisions, while just 19% disagree.
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60% agree that it is important for state legislatures to proactively protect the right to abortion through state legislation, with Roe v. Wade in danger of being overturned in the Supreme Court (with 80% of African-American voters in agreement.)
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Even a majority of voters who supported Trump in 2016 support reproductive freedom: 65% agree that decisions about pregnancy should be made by the woman with the support of people she loves and trusts.
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A majority of North Carolinians in many faiths support reproductive freedom and access to abortion, including 74% of Protestants, 78% of Roman Catholics, 91% of voters who practice another form of Christianity, 90% of Jewish voters, and 65% who practice another religion.
The RNC announced that anti-choice extremist Abby Johnson will speak at the convention, showcasing their desperation to push out a wildly unpopular agenda in order to rile up Trump’s base, even though the majority of Americans—77%— support the right to access abortion. Despite anti-choice lawmakers’ unprecedented barrage of attacks across the country, there is no state where banning abortion is popular.
As part of NARAL’s multi-faceted and largest-ever electoral program for the 2020 election, in which NARAL is investing $34.7 million targeting key races and persuading movable voters, NARAL is holding Republican senators in battleground states, including Sen. Thom Tillis, accountable for their anti-choice, anti-freedom stances.
Sen. Tillis has worked to undermine reproductive freedom at every turn, repeatedly sides with and enables Trump’s anti-choice, regressive agenda, and voted to confirm anti-choice Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. North Carolina already has some of the most severe restrictions on abortion in the United States. Over 90% of North Carolina counties have no clinics providing abortion care and more than half of North Carolina women live in a county without an abortion clinic.
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NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all. For more than 50 years, NARAL has worked to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. Since 1969, NARAL has made history, grown to over 2.5 million members, and met the moments that have defined this fight with action, power, and freedom. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”