The United States Supreme Court on Thursday blocked implementation of a Louisiana law that would have required that doctors who perform abortions have admitting privelidges at nearby hospitals, a law almost identical to Texas' law passed amidst strenuous debate by the legislature in 2013 and overturned by the Supreme Court in 2016 (see Alexa Ura's coverage in the Texas Tribune). Of note yesterday was the composition of the majority, in which the court's four liberal jurists were joined by Chief Justice John Roberts. In the Texas case, Anthony Kennedy joined the court's majority, since replaced by Justice Brett Kavanaugh who yesterday joined the dissenters.
Texas public opinion has remained fairly static on the perrenial issue of abortion, but has shifted towards the Supreme Court (in notable partisan paterns) over time as the justices have weighed in on the issues of gay marriage, Obamacare, and, likely, abortion – and as offices have changed hands between Republican and Democratic control. Below is a set of results from numerous University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls.
(Click here to jump to the abortion attitudes.)
Attitudes towards the Branches of Government
| category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| The U.S. Congress, the legislative branch | 12% | 5% | 4% |
| The President, the executive branch | 3% | 15% | 56% |
| The U.S. Supreme Court, the judicial branch | 33% | 32% | 24% |
| Don't know | 52% | 47% | 16% |
| category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| The U.S. Congress, the legislative branch | 8% | 5% | 3% |
| The President, the executive branch | 2% | 32% | 47% |
| The U.S. Supreme Court, the judicial branch | 54% | 27% | 24% |
| Don't know | 36% | 36% | 25% |
| category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| The U.S. Congress, the legislative branch | 6% | 2% | 7% |
| The President, the executive branch | 4% | 21% | 48% |
| The U.S. Supreme Court, the judicial branch | 56% | 43% | 20% |
| Don't know | 34% | 34% | 25% |
| category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| The U.S. Congress, the legislative branch | 8% | 3% | 6% |
| The President, the executive branch | 6% | 22% | 49% |
| The U.S. Supreme Court, the judicial branch | 53% | 36% | 20% |
| Don't know | 33% | 40% | 25% |
| category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| The U.S. Congress, the legislative branch | 3% | 3% | 27% |
| The President, the executive branch | 35% | 12% | 4% |
| The U.S. Supreme Court, the judicial branch | 31% | 36% | 26% |
| Don't know | 31% | 49% | 43% |
| category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| The U.S. Congress, the legislative branch | 1% | 11% | 19% |
| The President, the executive branch | 61% | 18% | 2% |
| The U.S. Supreme Court, the judicial branch | 22% | 38% | 45% |
| Don't know | 16% | 33% | 34% |
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Never permitted | 15% |
| Only in cases of rape/incest/danger | 29% |
| Must clearly establish need | 12% |
| Should be personal choice | 39% |
| Don't know | 5% |
| category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never permitted | 6% | 3% | 25% |
| Only in cases of rape/incest/danger | 16% | 17% | 43% |
| Must clearly establish need | 10% | 13% | 14% |
| Should be personal choice | 64% | 61% | 15% |
| Don't know | 4% | 6% | 4% |
| category | White | Black | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never permitted | 16% | 10% | 14% |
| Only in cases of rape/incest/danger | 31% | 23% | 27% |
| Must clearly establish need | 12% | 10% | 13% |
| Should be personal choice | 37% | 46% | 42% |
| Don't know | 4% | 12% | 4% |
| category | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Never permitted | 14% | 15% |
| Only in cases of rape/incest/danger | 32% | 26% |
| Must clearly establish need | 12% | 12% |
| Should be personal choice | 36% | 42% |
| Don't know | 5% | 5% |
| category | 18-29 | 30-44 | 45-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Never permitted | 8% | 17% | 17% | 13% |
| Only in cases of rape/incest/danger | 28% | 23% | 29% | 38% |
| Must clearly establish need | 12% | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Should be personal choice | 49% | 40% | 38% | 32% |
| Don't know | 3% | 9% | 5% | 3% |
| category | Total |
|---|---|
| Pro-life | 43% |
| Pro-choice | 42% |
| Neither | 12% |
| Don't know | 3% |
| category | Democrat | Independent | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-life | 16% | 40% | 69% |
| Pro-choice | 70% | 38% | 20% |
| Neither | 12% | 20% | 10% |
| Don't know | 3% | 3% | 1% |
| category | White | Black | Hispanic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-life | 47% | 29% | 42% |
| Pro-choice | 41% | 44% | 46% |
| Neither | 10% | 21% | 10% |
| Don't know | 2% | 6% | 2% |
| category | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Pro-life | 48% | 39% |
| Pro-choice | 37% | 47% |
| Neither | 14% | 10% |
| Don't know | 2% | 4% |
| category | 18-29 | 30-44 | 45-64 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-life | 44% | 38% | 41% | 50% |
| Pro-choice | 49% | 47% | 44% | 31% |
| Neither | 5% | 10% | 13% | 18% |
| Don't know | 3% | 5% | 2% | 2% |