preserved full access to mifepristone in April, putting on hold a lower court’s ruling that the Food and Drug Administration erred in making the drug more broadly available. This month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit will consider the case brought by antiabortion groups against the FDA’s regulation of mifepristone, a decision that will almost surely be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Strong opposition to the court’s decision overturning the right to have an abortion peaks among liberals and Democrats . Strong opposition also extends to majorities of moderates , women and independents . And half of White Catholics strongly oppose the Supreme Court overturningAbout 8 in 10 Americans say the decision on whether to have an abortion should be left to the woman and her doctor , while about 2 in 10 say abortion should be regulated by law.Dobbs v.
Leaving the decision to have an abortion up to a pregnant person and their doctor is also a majority-held opinion across parties and religious groups .On the whole, opinions on access to abortion medication are closely tied to their support for the Supreme Court’s decision last year eliminating a constitutional right to an abortion. About 8 in 10 Americans who oppose the Supreme Court’sdecision say mifepristone should remain on the market , while 12 percent say it should be taken off.
A similar majority of people who say decisions about abortion access “should be left to the woman and her doctor” say mifepristone should remain on the market , compared with 28 percent among those who say abortion should be regulated by law. A slim 51 percent majority of Americans say Supreme Court justices make decisions mainly “based on their personal political views,” while 39 percent say their cases are decided mainly “based on the law.” That marks a slight shift in views since before the Supreme Court overturned, when Americans were roughly split on whether justices made decisions based on the law or their political viewpoint.