By Sarah Holliday
The Washington Stand
Earlier this month, Students for Life of America released a poll that found a large portion of registered millennial and Gen Z voters are “not buying [what] the Democratic Party has been selling” on abortion. As the report stated, “Media and politicians often claim that this critical demographic … are solidly on the side of abortion.” However, “the facts tell a different, nuanced story.”
Of those polled:
- “Almost 7 in 10 support some limits on abortion.
- “MORE than 3 in 10 Youth Voters (31%) “would be MORE WILLING to accept limits” if families got the help they need.
- “6 in 10 said human rights begin while a child is still in the womb. Only 2% said rights begin when a court says so. ONLY 25% said human rights begin after birth.
- “LESS THAN 1 in 10 (9%) supported the Democratic Party Agenda of abortion without limits, through all 9 months, up to and including infanticide for a baby born during a botched abortion.”
In addition to these numbers, the survey found less than half of these young voters (48.5%) support Planned Parenthood receiving tax money. In fact, the report emphasized that “of those who had a baseline favorable view of Planned Parenthood, 30% view them less favorably after we showed them information on the nation’s number one abortion vendor. Of those who had a neutral view of Planned Parenthood, 30% also view them less favorably after learning more.”
The results concluded that, regarding young voters and their views of abortion, “pain matters,” “fertility matters,” and “a baby born during a botched abortion should receive help.” As the report emphasized, on both surgical abortions and chemical abortions, “youth voters do stand on common ground in support for limits on abortion, in protection for women, in rejecting infanticide, in increases in support & service, and in protecting the fertility of women and children, whether from harms of abortion or harms to minors from wrong sex hormones.”
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, joined Family Research Council President Tony Perkins on Wednesday’s “Washington Watch” to further unpack these results. “[T]he poll counteracts … so much of what you hear in the legacy ‘lamestream’ media,” Hawkins remarked. “Gen Z and Gen Y voters … [are] the largest demographic in our electorate, the least churched, the most liberal, [yet] almost seven in 10 support limits on abortion. That’s something that you never hear, especially when you’re on a college campus.”
She continued, “Even young people themselves will think that the majority of young people are pro-abortion.” But even the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which Democrats voted against in the Senate last week, is supported by roughly nine out of 10 young voters. “Nine out of 10,” Hawkins reiterated. “I mean, that just shows you how in bed the Democrats in Washington are with the abortion lobby because [their view] is unpopular.”
Perkins agreed, adding that this poll doesn’t merely highlight where young voters and Democrats are at odds, but it serves as a reminder of how “the Republicans need to be schooled a little bit on where the millennials and Gen Z stand on these issues.” According to Perkins, there’s a lot of talk from the Right about young people opposing conservative values. But “you know,” he said, “I don’t see it. I actually see the young people who have been the victim of these policies in many ways … and I think we’re selling them short when we look at these social policies.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Hawkins replied. “[T]hink about Planned Parenthood … the nation’s largest abortion vendor who receives $700 million of our taxpayer dollars. Every time you see polling on Planned Parenthood, we are told in the pro-life movement that” it’s impossible to tell “Planned Parenthood to go get their own funding.” As Hawkins put it, we’re told “that their brand is untouchable. That is not the case.” In fact, she pointed out, in addition to the 48% of young voters who opposed “Planned Parenthood receiving $700 million in taxpayer funds, 63% thought abortion should be prevented when a child feels pain at 12.5 weeks.”
“These are stats,” Hawkins said. And “you never see [them] anywhere else. … Honest polling … that actually tells us where this generation is so we can figure out how do we get them where they need to be: fully with us [and] 100% pro-life.” But the question remains: If the message has consistently been that young voters are significantly pro-abortion, then when did this shift occur? Perkins believes the 2024 election season may have played a role.
As he put it, “I was of the persuasion that Kamala Harris’s radical position on abortion” may have “even turned some voters to being pro-life because it laid bare just how radical they were.” Hawkins agreed. In fact, she explained how exposing the radical Democratic abortion agenda is where many people’s minds are changed. “[O]ften,” she said, “when having conversations with young voters, they actually do not believe that anybody would ever vote to allow a baby who is born alive during an abortion to die. It seems impossible to them.” And yet, that is what happened when every Senate Democrat voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act last week.
Ultimately, Hawkins expressed optimism about the younger generations. And as the country enters the next four years under a significantly more pro-life administration, “We and Republicans need to be louder about the extremism of Democrats.”
Originally published at The Washington Stand!
