How the media mislead about Americans' consensus on abortion

Fox News host Shannon Bream recently pressed Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) on whether he supports any limits on abortion prior to a baby’s due date. The Democrat gave an uncommonly clear answer: “No.” 

Bream’s pursuit of such clarity is, sadly, rare in her field. Around the first anniversary of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, newspaper headlines and television chyrons have largely clung to the familiar narrative that the consensus among Americans favors radical abortion policies like those generally espoused by Cardin and his party. 

This couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Even after 50 years under Roe, the American public strongly embraces protections for human life before birth. One major reason is that scientific advancements since the 1970s have given rise to greater understanding of babies' development during pregnancy.

Today, more than ever, Americans recognize the humanity of the child in the womb. For instance, medical advancements have demonstrated that babies need anesthesia for surgery in utero as early as 15 weeks. Certainly, these tiny humans deserve protection from brutal life-ending procedures. 

The idea of protecting children in the womb from pain is not controversial. It is a belief most Americans share. Marist polling has been tracking opinions about where to draw the line on abortion for over a decade. In that time, opinion hasn’t changed much, as indicated in the 2023 findings showing that almost seven in 10 Americans support limiting abortion to the first three months of pregnancy at most.

And despite the media narrative to the contrary, this poll is not an outlier — in fact, Marist's results track with recent Gallup, NPR, Harvard-Harris and Associated Press polls.  

When asked for their specific views — in terms of weeks or trimesters — Americans consistently express a desire to protect the unborn throughout most of their nine months of gestation.

The media generally frame their coverage in a way that lines up with Democratic messaging, labeling any protections for the unborn as an outright “ban.” Even laws that allow for abortions for any reason for five full months get the absurd misnomer “20-week ban.” In case they missed it, the dictionary definition of “ban” is “to forbid someone to do something.” In no state are all abortions forbidden. 

Every state that has enacted life-affirming laws makes some exceptions.  

The partisan press further takes a side on this issue by blacking out references to the humanity of children inside the womb, including scientifically observed milestones such as their heartbeat, fingerprints, development of unique facial features, and capacity to feel pain. The Associated Press even instructs journalists to use the cold and clinical “cardiac activity” instead of "heartbeat."

This framing is a key component of the Democrats’ political strategy. It comes straight out of their carefully poll-tested messaging playbook.  

Between the Dobbs decision and the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats’ top strategists conducted detailed polling to investigate what media messages would resonate best with voters. This research yielded a “clear conclusion” that the “most potent messaging for Democrats was to keep the conversation broad by casting Republicans as supporting a national ban on abortion and avoid a discussion over the details about gestational week limits,” the New York Times has reported. 

As longtime Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, who has conducted some of the post-Dobbs surveys, put it: “Debating weeks is not where we want to be [because] people are terrible at math and terrible at biology.” 

I disagree. In fact, Americans are far more knowledgeable about prenatal development today than they were in 1973, when Roe was decided. Recent generations have grown up observing babies in pregnancy through 2D, 3D and 4D ultrasound images. More and more Americans know someone who underwent surgery in utero, which routinely requires anesthesia, not only for the mother but also specifically for the child patient. 

What is true is that Democrats know their position of taxpayer-funded elective abortion through all nine months of pregnancy is not only inhumane, but also polls only up to 20 percent on a good day — and generally far lower than that. The media’s avoidance of this fact is an example of bias, a gift to the Democrats. 

It’s time to bring honesty and clarity to our national conversation about abortion. If the mainstream media are willing to return to impartial journalistic ethics, we’ll see a very different story. It will be abundantly clear that Americans are reasonable and compassionate and overwhelmingly want pro-life protections for both mother and child.  

Marjorie Dannenfelser is president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.