The latest national telephone survey of US adults found a majority (57% versus 41%) are in favor of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision on abortion.

That decision declared state laws which made it illegal for a woman to have an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy unconstitutional. The judges ruled that the decision to have an abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy should be left up to the woman and her doctor.

On the 25th anniversary of the landmark case, the Harris Poll of 1,000 Americans also found that 53% describe themselves as “pro-choice,” while 40% said they are “pro-life.”

The survey findings also show that 58% of those polled said an abortion should be allowed under “some circumstances,” but only 17% believe abortion should never be allowed under any circumstances.

However, the survey also reveals that 40% of those polled favor laws that would make it “more difficult for women to get an abortion.”

The survey provides more evidence that the public is divided over the issue — particularly over the question of how far into pregnancy abortion should be allowed. While 63% of those polled thought abortion should be legal during the first three months of pregnancy, even larger majorities said abortion should be illegal in the second (69%) and third (81%) trimesters of pregnancy.

The survey is correct by plus or minus 3 percentage points say the pollsters Louis Harris and Associates, Inc., of New York.

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