Poll finds support for women’s health, abortion access for Zika response

NARAL Pro-Choice America released new battleground state polling that shows the GOP’s insistence on playing politics with the Zika funding bill over a fight about women’s health clinics  hurts them politically.

The poll also shows that voters overwhelming support abortion access for women infected with Zika, and the majority of Americans (85%) want Congress to take immediate action to pass a funding bill that includes funding women’s health clinics.

Some key findings:

• 85% of battleground voters want Congress to pass a plan to combat Zika that includes support for women’s healthcare clinics. There is wide support across party identification – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – and in every battleground state.
• 59% of battleground voters are less likely to support their representative if they learn their representative voted to restrict funding for women’s healthcare during the spread of the Zika virus, and,
• 64% of battleground voters are less likely to support their representative if they learn that their representative believes a pregnant woman should not have access to abortion even if she’s infected with Zika and learns her child will be born with severe birth defects.

“In February when President Obama requested funds to fight Zika there were zero cases of the virus in the continental United States. Now, after seven months of the GOP playing politics and attempts to restrict women’s health care instead of addressing this public health emergency, there are more than 18,000 cases of Zika in 48 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories,” said Sasha Bruce, senior vice president for campaigns and strategy for NARAL Pro-Choice America.

“Our polling shows that once again the Republicans’ never-ending campaign to ban abortion and close women health clinics has hurt them politically. This polling confirms what we’ve always known:  while anti-choice politicians may be vocal,  the majority of Americans agree that women and families should have access to top quality health care—including access to abortion—especially during public health emergencies like the Zika outbreak.”