What Americans Think About Supreme Court Ruling Overturning Roe v. Wade
Ask Students: How many people polled had an abortion or knew someone who had an abortion? What percentage of Americans oppose the Supreme Court’s decision?
Summary
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has set off a frenzy of responses across the country. From anger and protest by some to celebration by others, the effects of this decision are reverberating throughout all corners of America, especially at the state level. Our latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll shows how Americans are reacting.
For a transcript of the story, click here.
Discussion Questions
- How many people polled had an abortion or knew someone who had an abortion?
- What percentage of Americans oppose the Supreme Court’s decision?
- Who, as in which generation group, is most divided in terms of their opinions on the court’s decision?
- Which party (Democrats or Republicans) think that the court’s decision was political rather than based on law?
- Why does Lisa Desjardins say that Independents could be “decisive voters in the fall?”
Focus Questions
What is your own opinion on the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade? Does your opinion match with the majority of the political party you support? The majority of the country?
Media Literacy: Why are polls significant? What is the value of reporting on opinions of the American public?
What Students Can Do
Poll members of your entire class asking if they support or oppose the decision; if they think the decision was political or based on law; why they think someone would get an abortion; and if they think their state should pass laws financially supporting babies and families if the pregnancy was unintended. After collecting your data, what are the similarities or differences between your poll and the national poll?
Learn more about Americans’ response to the decision by clicking here.
Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Classroom
PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.
