It has been nearly a month since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and we now have our first in-depth polling on how Rhode Islanders – and the rest of the country – view abortion.
A new survey from the COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States shows Rhode Island voters support abortion rights more than the national average in every scenario, including protecting a woman’s life, pregnancy caused by rape, and after a heartbeat is detected.
The online survey was taken between June 8 and July 6, which means it came after the initial draft opinion of the Supreme Court was leaked in May, and some voters were questioned after the decision was released on June 24. More than 24,000 voters nationwide participated, including 369 in Rhode Island.
Here’s a snapshot of support for each scenario nationally, in Rhode Island, and in Massachusetts.
*The margin of error for Rhode Island is plus or minus 6 percentage points.
Protect the Woman’s Life
National: 62 percent
Rhode Island: 71 percent
Massachusetts: 76 percent
Protect the Woman’s Health
National: 44 percent
Rhode Island: 56 percent
Massachusetts: 57 percent
Pregnancy Caused by Rape
National: 60 percent
Rhode Island: 71 percent
Massachusetts: 77 percent
Financial Reasons
National: 32 percent
Rhode Island: 39 percent
Massachusetts: 49 percent
Fetal Health Problems or Birth Defects
National: 47 percent
Rhode Island: 58 percent
Massachusetts: 63 percent
If a Woman Doesn’t Want to be Pregnant
National: 35 percent
Rhode Island: 42 percent
Massachusetts: 55 percent
After Fetal Viability
National: 17 percent
Rhode Island: 19 percent
Massachusetts: 26 percent
After 6 Weeks of Pregnancy
National: 31 percent
Rhode Island: 37 percent
Massachusetts: 45 percent
After a Fetal Heartbeat is Detected
National: 28 percent
Rhode Island: 35 percent
Massachusetts: 43 percent
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, data about the coronavirus in the state, and more. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.