For the 20th Straight Year, Americans Say Abortion is ‘Morally Wrong,’ Gallup Shows

A plurality of Americans say abortion is morally wrong, according to Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, which also shows a record percentage of Americans saying divorce is morally acceptable.

The poll, conducted May 1-13 and released Tuesday, shows that 47 percent of Americans say abortion is morally wrong and 44 percent say it’s morally acceptable. Although neither percentage is a record, it continues a two-decade trend: The percentage of those who say it’s morally wrong has been higher than the “morally acceptable” position every year since the question was first asked in 2001.

Last year, 50 percent said abortion was morally wrong and 42 percent morally acceptable. When the question was first asked in 2001, 45 percent said it was morally wrong and 42 percent morally permissible.

The poll also shows that on four family-related issues – divorce, sex between unmarried individuals, having a baby outside of marriage, and polygamy – a record-high percentage of Americans say each one is morally permissible.

A record-high of 77 percent say divorce is morally permissible and a record-low of 18 percent say it is morally wrong. Four percent say it depends on the situation. When the poll was first conducted in 2001, 59 percent said divorce was OK, 28 percent said it was wrong and 12 percent said it depends.

A record-high (72 percent) also say sex between an…