70% Of America Stands With Roe V. Wade

With nearly half of Donald Trump supporters holding the belief that women should be punished for having an abortion, the future of reproductive rights is not looking bright. But we're not giving up hope, and we're not alone. Nearly 70% of Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. Speaking on 60 Minutes shortly after the election, President-elect Trump chronicled the primary goals for his presidency — including appointing pro-life (and, in case that weren't terrifying enough, pro-gun) supreme court justices. This could likely lead to the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that gives women across the U.S. the right to safe and accessible abortion procedures. If Roe v. Wade were overturned, laws regarding abortion rights would be sent back to the individual states — many of which are already tightening restrictions to make abortion less and less accessible to those who seek it. (Ohio's legislature, for example, recently pushed a "heartbeat bill" that would have made any abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected — often at a mere six weeks of pregnancy — illegal. Gov. John Kasich vetoed that part of the bill but did sign a 20-week abortion ban into law.) But it's not a done deal. Cosmopolitan reports that even if Trump appoints a pro-lifer to fill Antonin Scalia's seat, he would need to appoint several more conservative justices in order to truly threaten Roe v. Wade. And, as Pew's new statistics show, Trump would not have the support of most Americans in doing so (then again, he's used to that).