Another take on the "ZOMG Pro-Life PWN" poll

Last week, Gallup released a poll that said for the first time since 1995 that more Americans identified as "pro-life" than pro-choice.

If you take a stroll around the South Dakota blogosphere, you can see what earth-shattering news this supposedly was, according to PP at the War College, DooHickey (DW no linkage policy), and Dakota Voice.

After reading them, you might think this poll is some kind of nail in the coffin. But, if you've been paying attention to South Dakota politics in the last several years, you might wonder what's caused such a disparity between poll numbers and voting patterns.

Chicago Tribune writer Eric Zorn does some comparing. Remember folks, according to Fox News, this poll was in line with their own polling, so it must be true--ha! However, Zorn points out that a Quinnipiac University poll done in April with twice the sample size of the Gallup poll showed 52 percent of respondents saying that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

For the record, this isn't the first time a major poll has reported a "pro-life" lead: as Zorn reports, a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll from two years ago showed a 50-45 percent lead. Face it: this just isn't groundbreaking news.


We've been hovering around the middle for quite some time. However, a weekend CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll did show one pretty decisive tidbit: that 68 percent of respondents DO NOT support overturning Roe. I guess I'm a little less concerned with how people identify, and a lot more concerned with how many of them support basic privacy rights. Love it.