New poll shows significant confusion on how pregnancy works

Republicans and some in the media are eager to trot out polls showing that abortion won’t motivate voters in upcoming elections, or that Republicans’ 15-week abortion ban proposals have widespread support—and then voters keep going to the polls and rejecting Republican abortion policy. A new Harvard Center for American Political Studies/Harris poll shows why polling on highly specific abortion policies should be taken with several grains of salt.

The responses on this poll are all over the map, but one thing stands out in a you-have-got-to-be-F’ing-kidding-me way: the number of weeks gestation at which respondents believed pregnancies to be viable. This is a question with a real answer. It’s not a matter of opinion at all.