Pro-life activists counter-demonstrate as pro-choice activists participate in a "flash-mob" demonstration outside of the US Supreme Court on January 22, 2022 in Washington, DC. - January 22 marks the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that established the constitutional right to abortion care in the United States.
ALEX EDELMAN / AFP via Getty Images
ALEX EDELMAN / AFP via Getty Images
Pro-life activists counter-demonstrate as pro-choice activists participate in a "flash-mob" demonstration outside of the US Supreme Court on January 22, 2022 in Washington, DC. - January 22 marks the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that established the constitutional right to abortion care in the United States.
Following up from last week’s FCF about Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons claiming the “vast majority of the citizens of Lancaster County” oppose abortion, in response to a new Planned Parenthood opening in Lancaster.
He provided no data to support his claim and didn’t respond to a request for comment.
After some research, I found polling data on Lanc. County residents is too sparse to make this conclusion.
Planned Parenthood told me they don’t have data about how residents feel about abortion, nor do they believe it exists.
The best evidence we have is a Franklin & Marshall poll from May that showed nearly 9 in 10 registered Pa. voters believes abortion should be legal under certain circumstances (52%) or under any circumstance (37%).
Though the sample size is too small to properly represent Lanc. County, the poll sampled ~50 Lanc. County voters. Only 12% of them thought that abortion should “always” be illegal.
Berwood Yost, director of F&M’s Center for Opinion Research, says it’s “hard to imagine that the feelings of Lancaster residents” are different from elsewhere in Pa.
So, without providing proof for his claims that Lanc. County residents oppose abortion, Commissioner Parsons’ claims are unsubstantiated. And polling data – though inconclusive – indicates he may be wrong.
Unless Parsons has conclusive data that supports his claims that’s unknown to both pollsters and Planned Parenthood, his claim is disinformation.
Sources:
Commissioner Parsons’ statement
(Bonus) Smart Talk interview w/ Berwood Yost about the F&M abortion poll
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
