Record-high 69 percent in new poll say first-trimester abortion should be legal

A record-high 69 percent of Americans in a Gallup poll released Wednesday said that abortion should be legal throughout the first trimester of pregnancy.

Support for abortion access in the second and third trimester of pregnancy also reached an all-time high, according to the survey, despite remaining significantly lower than support for the procedure during the first trimester.

While 37 percent of respondents said abortion should be legal in the second trimester, 22 percent said it should be legal in the third trimester, pollsters found.

A slight majority — 52 percent — said they identify as pro-choice, compared to 44 percent who said they identify as pro-life. Another 52 percent also said they view abortion as morally acceptable, while 41 percent said they view it as morally wrong.

However, Americans are almost evenly split when asked whether abortion should be legal in most circumstances or just a few; 49 percent said the procedure should only be available in a few circumstances or entirely illegal, while 47 percent said it should under most or any circumstances, the poll found.

The Gallup poll of 1,011 U.S. adults was conducted May 1-24, roughly a year after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to the public. The survey had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.