Planned Parenthod Statement on PRRI Poll on Millennials and Abortion

BACKGROUND: A new poll released today by the Public Religion Research Institute has a wide-ranging look at Millennials’ (young people between the ages of 18 and 29) attitudes and feelings toward abortion.

Here are poll details:  
http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=615

Below, please find a statement from Planned Parenthood regarding the poll:            

Statement from Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President for Public Policy and Communications, Dawn Laguens, on the Public Religion Research Institute’s Poll on the Millennial Generation and Abortion:

“This new survey released on the Millennial Generation’s views on abortion provides valuable information on a key demographic.  Most importantly, the poll highlights significant support of accessibility and availability of legal abortion.  Fifty-eight percent of Americans say there should be health care professionals in their community that provide legal abortions.  Millennials especially think it is important to have health care professionals in their community provide legal abortions, as their support jumps to 68 percent.

"The poll also shows increased support for legal abortion, with a solid majority of Americans (56 percent) saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases (up from 50 percent in a 2010 Gallup poll).  The poll also affirms that there has been stable and consistent majority support for Roe v. Wade over the years, reflecting the fact that it has been settled law for nearly 40 years.

“It is also heartening to see that there is no gap in support among young people on issues they consider as basic human rights, with support for marriage equality reaching similar majority support levels for abortion rights.

“We know, just from the past few months, that when Americans, especially Millennials, see threats to access and availability of reproductive health, they become actively engaged.  During the congressional battle to bar Planned Parenthood from participating in federal health programs, more than 800,000 Americans signed our online petition, contacted their members of Congress, and/or spoke out against the attacks. Nearly half of those supporters were young people.   

“Planned Parenthood will continue to provide primary and preventive health care and work to reduce the high number of unintended pregnancies in our country while also ensuring that women have the ability to make their own decisions about their families, their future, and their health without government interference.”

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. We believe that everyone has the right to choose when or whether to have a child, and that every child should be wanted and loved. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate nearly 800 health centers nationwide, providing medical services and sexuality education for millions of women, men, and teenagers each year. We also work with allies worldwide to ensure that all women and men have the right and the means to meet their sexual and reproductive health care needs.