In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on abortion, some companies are offering to help their employees travel out of state to get a legal abortion when abortion is banned in their home state. Half of Americans (50%) support companies doing this, whereas one in three (33%) oppose it, according to the latest Economist / YouGov Poll. The vast majority of Democrats (78%) are supportive, while only 24% of Republicans are.
Some Texas officials have pushed back against companies who have made such offers, including by threatening them with legal action. Americans are more than twice as likely to oppose (55%) as to support (24%) states prosecuting companies that aid employees in obtaining abortions. While Democrats are mostly united in their opposition to such action (69% oppose, 20% support), Republicans are evenly split on the issue (39% oppose, 38% support).
Another current abortion-related debate: how to handle pregnant women seeking abortions who are detained in immigrant detention centers located in states that ban abortion. While Americans are somewhat divided, they are more likely to support allowing women in this situation to be transferred to states where abortion is legal (43%) than to oppose allowing them to be transferred (35%). Democrats (66% support) are more in favor of this than Republicans are (19% support).
The share of Americans who support the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade, has remained relatively steady: 51% disapprove of it and 39% approve. On the Biden administration’s response to the decision, Americans are divided, though slightly more say the response has been too weak than say it has been too strong. Among people who strongly disapprove of the Dobbs decision, 58% say the administration’s response has been too weak, while far fewer (20%) say it’s been about right.
– Carl Bialik and Kathy Francovic contributed to this article
This poll was conducted on July 16 - 19, 2022 among 1,500 U.S. adult citizens. Explore more on the methodology and data for this Economist/YouGov poll.
Image: Manny Becerra on Unsplash
