Survey: By a 2-to-1 margin, Americans oppose abortion bans and criminal penalties 

(Portland, MAINE) – On the heels of public hearings in the Maine state legislature where lawmakers are considering bills that will define the future of abortion rights in Maine, a new survey shows an overwhelming majority of Americans oppose restrictions on abortion access and criminal penalties tied to abortion care. 

The Navigator Research Survey released today shows, across party lines, that Americans believe the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning federal protections for abortion was bad for the country, and that most Americans support Congressional action to protect access to abortion nationwide. 

In addition, three in four Republicans believe their party wants abortion to be illegal in all or most cases, a stance the Maine GOP has adopted. These results conflict with further survey findings that two in five Republicans who believe abortion should be legal. 

Maine lawmakers Monday heard testimony from patient advocates, faith leaders, medical providers and allies on a slate of bills aimed at expanding access to abortion and protecting patients and providers against attacks.  

At the forefront of those bills is LD 1619, An Act to Improve Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Laws, championed by Governor Janet Mills, Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, Maine Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross and a majority of lawmakers in the Maine legislature.   

In line with the Navigator Survey sentiment, LD 1619 would remove Maine’s ban on abortions later in pregnancy and the criminal penalties included in the state’s current law as well as eliminate antiquated and invasive data collection requirements for abortion patients and providers. 

The Navigator Survey is only the latest to confirm strong support for safe, legal abortion throughout pregnancy; a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released in February showed Mainers of all ages, geographic locations and across political ideologies trust medical providers and their patients to make decisions about pregnancy and abortion.  

Maine voters have historically supported access to safe, legal abortion, and have already weighed in on abortion later in pregnancy, affirming popular support and opposing restrictions. In 1999, voters defeated a ballot measure that sought to ban access to abortion later in pregnancy, a measure championed by politically motivated organizations and opposed by leading medical organizations including the Maine Medical Association. 

Statement from Nicole Clegg, Acting CEO, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England: 

 “These survey results are not surprising. Since the fall of Roe, we have seen 1 in 3 Americans lose their right to abortion and we have seen how devastating the consequences of cruel and unnecessary restrictions harm families. 

I am inspired by Mainers who stood up yesterday to share their deeply personal stories with lawmakers in Augusta. The testimony in favor of the bills heard in the Health Insurance & Financial Services Committee (HCIFS) and Judiciary Committees focused on real people impacted by Maine’s restriction on abortion later in pregnancy and their medical providers.  

We applaud Gov. Mills, Senate President Jackson, House Speaker Talbot Ross, and all the lawmakers who have stepped up to sponsor and co-sponsor bills in response to Dobbs. 
Voters in November elected strong reproductive rights majorities in all three branches of our government, and yesterday lawmakers heard testimony in support of these bills that lead with evidence-based medicine, science and compassion.” 

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Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in Maine. PPNNE has four health centers in Maine and sees more than 12,000 patients a year.