Americans’ Views on Abortion Access and Abortion Pill Restrictions, Religious Groups’ Abortion Attitudes, and Senator Booker’s Record-Breaking Speech
The Morning Buzz: April 2, 2025
1. Republican Opposition to Abortion Declines Sharply, Study Finds
At The Washington Post, Emily Wax-Thibodeaux highlights key findings from a new PRRI 50-state survey revealing that just 13% of Republicans say abortion should be illegal in all cases, down from 22% in 2010. More than 63% of Americans overall support abortion legality in all or most cases. These findings come as the Supreme Court considers whether a state can prohibit the use of Medicaid for health care services provided by Planned Parenthood, such as STI testing and cancer screenings. The case follows a 2018 order from South Carolina’s Republican Gov. Henry McMaster barring clinics that offer abortion services from the state’s Medicaid program, though Medicaid does not provide coverage for abortions, with very limited exceptions.
2. Majorities Across Most Faith Groups Say Abortion Should Be Legal — Except These Four
For The Miami Herald, Natalie Demaree covers the newest PRRI report’s finding that while most religious Americans support legal abortion, four faith groups — Hispanic Protestants, Latter-day Saints, white evangelical Protestants, and Jehovah’s Witnesses — largely oppose it. Among these religious groups, 44% of Hispanic Protestants, 29% of Latter-day Saints, 28% of white evangelical Protestants, and 22% of Jehovah’s Witnesses say abortion should be legal in most or all cases. The report also finds that more frequent participation in religious practices and support for Christian nationalism are both negatively correlated with support for abortion legality at the state level.
3. Americans’ Views on Abortion Legality vs. Abortion Pill Restrictions
In a new Spotlight Analysis, PRRI Public Fellow Michal Raucher, Ph.D., compares Americans’ views on abortion legality and bans on using abortion pills or receiving them through the mail. Though the conservative federal policy agenda Project 2025 proposed making it illegal to access abortion pills by mail, PRRI data shows that 68% of Americans oppose laws that would make FDA-approved abortion pills illegal to access by mail. Majorities of all religious groups, except for Jehovah’s Witnesses (40%), are opposed to restricting access by mail, illustrating Americans’ stronger support for accessing medication abortion, even among groups that are opposed to abortion legality. Read more.
4. Cory Booker Makes History With Longest Senate Floor Speech in Protest of Trump Agenda
CNN reports that Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey broke the record for the longest floor speech in the chamber’s modern history after speaking for more than 25 hours about the harms he said President Donald Trump’s administration is inflicting. Additionally, in a new op-ed published at Religion News Service, the Rev. Jim Wallis points out that while majorities of white Christians voted for Trump, interfaith coalitions are mobilizing to oppose cuts to food and health care programs and life-saving international aid. On the floor, Booker read letters from Americans who were worried about the direction of the country. PRRI’s post-election survey finds that seven in ten American voters (70%) agree that “today, the biggest dangers we face are not from outsiders, but from those living among us who want to destroy our country.”
What’s Buzzing
Learn more from PRRI's most recent survey report, Abortion Views Across All 50 States: Key Insights from PRRI’s 2024 American Values Atlas.