The striking jump in the new Gallup poll of people defining themselves as pro-life - 7 percentage points in one year, for a total of 51 percent - doesn’t explain itself. You may be right, Hanna, that scientific advances or a truly deep shift in attitude aren’t the rationale , given that the breakdown didn’t change when Gallup pinned people down further by asking them if they think abortion should always, sometimes, or never be legal. But the words “pro-life” and “pro-choice” have long been as freighted with meaning as they are now. No event in the last year I can think of rocked the definitional boat on this one.
So I’d love to hear from anyone out there who used to think of herself or himself as pro-choice, and in the last year or so has had a change of heart. Why? What accounts for the shift in your thinking? Post a comment if you’re up for doing that, or send me an email at bazelon@slate.com .
