More than half of Americans said in a recent survey that they believe abortion drugs should be legal in their state — as a judge in Texas moved to block its approval.
A Pew Research Center poll released on Monday found that 53% of adults in the US said the use of a prescription pill or pills to terminate a pregnancy should be legal in their state.
The findings come after conflicting federal court rulings last week over the legality of the abortion pill mifepristone, which has been FDA-approved for more than two decades.
The Pew Research Center survey, conducted from March 27 to April 2, before courts in Texas and Washington issued their rulings on medication abortion on April 7, also found that only 22% say prescription abortion drugs should be illegal and 24% were unsure.
Unsurprisingly, the poll found a wide partisan divide on the issue of medication abortion – the most commonly used abortion method in the US.
A majority of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 73%, believe medication abortion should be legal in their state, while only 35% of Republicans and GOP leaners say the same.
Read Related Also: Meet Chef Richard Blais Family: Father, Mother, Siblings!
Pew also found notable ideological gaps within the parties, with almost half of conservatives, 47%, saying abortion pills should be illegal compared to only 20% of moderate and liberal Republicans who say medication abortion should be illegal.
Nearly nine-in-ten liberal Democrats, 88%, say the pills should be legal, compared with 59% of conservative and moderate Democrats, according to the poll.
Overall, younger adults were more likely than older ones to say medication abortion should be legal in their state, with 66% of adults under 30 responding that abortion pills should be legal, compared with half of adults 30 and older.
Last week, District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former President Donald Trump from Texas, ordered a hold on federal approval of mifepristone.
Minutes later, District Judge Thomas O. Rice, a Barack Obama appointee from Washington, barred authorities from restricting access to mifepristone in at least 17 states where Democrats sued to protect availability.
Federal lawyers representing the Food and Drug Administration are expected to swiftly appeal the ruling and the White House is reportedly reviewing the decision.
