GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- The United States Congress takes up legislation this week to criminalize certain violent acts causing injury or death to a fetus or unborn child. The issue is highly controversial in Congress, where members are apparently divided in their support for the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2001" (H.R. 503, sponsored by Rep. Lindsey Graham). Supporters of the bill argue that it is necessary to fill a hole in current federal law, whereby a violent act that results in minimal injury to a pregnant woman but kills her fetus or unborn child is subject only to the penalties for the harm done to the woman.
A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds that Americans overwhelmingly support the concept that the perpetrator of violence against a pregnant woman should be held legally responsible for inducing harm to a fetus or unborn child, as well as the pregnant mother. Widespread support for imposing stiffer penalties on such violent acts is found both when the word "fetus" is used as well as when the phrase "unborn child" is used. In an April 20-22 Gallup survey of national adults, half of the respondents were asked:
Suppose for a moment that a violent crime is committed against a pregnant woman and the unborn child is harmed or killed. Do you think the criminal should or should not face additional charges for harming the unborn child as well as the woman?
In response, 93% of Americans say the suspect, should face additional charges, while just 5% disagree.
The second half of survey respondents were asked the same question, but the word "fetus" replaced the phrase "unborn child." The results were similar, as 86% favor additional charges and just 9% oppose them.
With both wordings, only slight differences among various population subgroups, such as men and women or Democrats and Republicans, are evident. Democrats, self-described "liberals," and those with advanced college degrees show the highest levels of opposition to the call for stiffer penalties. However even among these groups, support ranges from 77% to 89%, while the percentage opposed falls under 20%.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,015 adults, 18 years and older, conducted April 20-22, 2001. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
Suppose for a moment that a violent crime is committed against a pregnant woman and the unborn child is harmed or killed. Do you think the criminal should or should not face additional charges for harming the unborn child as well as the woman?
BASED ON -- 500 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM A; ±5 PCT. PTS.
|
|
Should face |
Should not face additional charges |
No |
|
2001 Apr 20-22 |
93% |
5 |
2 |
Suppose for a moment that a violent crime is committed against a pregnant woman and the fetus is harmed or killed. Do you think the criminal should or should not face additional charges for harming the fetus as well as the woman?
BASED ON -- 515 -- NATIONAL ADULTS IN FORM B; ±5 PCT. PTS.
|
|
Should face |
Should not face additional charges |
No |
|
2001 Apr 20-22 |
86% |
9 |
5 |
