NEW POLL: Majority of Georgians Polled Support the Reproductive Freedom Act
National Institute for Reproductive Health
Amplify Georgia Collaborative
Contact
Crystal Monds, [email protected]
NIRH, [email protected]
Voters across party lines do not trust politicians to make pregnancy decisions; Georgians want pregnancy decisions in the hands of people and their providers.
Atlanta, GA — Today, Amplify Georgia Collaborative including Feminist Women’s Health Center and SisterSong, in collaboration with the National Institute forReproductive Health (NIRH) released a survey of bipartisan voters disproportionately impacted by the state’s abortion bans and restrictions — in Savannah, Macon, and Athens. The overwhelming majority of voters polled want abortion to be legal and accessible without government interference. The polling highlights support for the Reproductive Freedom Act (RFA), a bill that would enshrine reproductive freedom into Georgia law, repeal the state’s medically unnecessary abortion restrictions, and make abortion care accessible to all Georgians throughout pregnancy.
Important highlights from this poll reveal:
- Abortion is a top issue for voters and support for abortion access crosses party lines.
- Even more, 68 percent, expressed concerns about the policing and criminalization of pregnant people.
- Voters overwhelmingly reject government interference in pregnancy decisions and want those decisions in the hands of people and their providers.
Statement from Aisha Mills, interim president, National Institute for Reproductive Health:
“Georgia voters remain in lockstep with the majority of voters across the country who oppose government interference in their health care decisions. Policies like the Reproductive Freedom Act recognize the legal right is not enough, and that repealing restrictions and proactively keeping politicians out of pregnancy decisions are necessary actions to address critical barriers to abortion access. We join Amplify Georgia in urging legislators to listen to Georgians and pass the RFA.”
Statement from Allison Coffman, Executive Director of Amplify Georgia Collaborative:
“The Amplify Georgia Collaborative is proud to release the results from our recent survey, confirming what we already knew—an overwhelming majority of Georgians trust people to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions and are opposed to government interference. Georgians demand the right to make the best decisions fortheir bodies and their families, whether that is seeking abortion care to end a pregnancy, in vitro fertilization (IVF) to start or grow their family, or midwifery care for a supportive and nurturing birth. Support for abortion access and reproductive healthcare more broadly cuts across party lines and will play a central role in upcoming elections. It is time for Georgia lawmakers to start listening to their constituents and enshrine the right to reproductive freedom in Georgia law through the Reproductive Freedom Act.”
Statement from Danielle Rodriguez, Georgia Coordinator of SisterSong:
“As co-chair of the Reproductive Freedom Act, the recent poll findings from Athens, Macon, and Savannah speak volumes: the demand for reproductive freedom is a Georgia-wide mandate, not a partisan debate. With 55% supporting legal abortion in most cases and 58% backing the Reproductive Freedom Act, it’s clear this is about human rights, not just policy. These numbers are a call to action. They underscore the urgency for a hearing on the Reproductive Freedom Act. This Act is not just legislation; it’s a reflection of the will of the people. We must ensure it is heard, debated, and enacted to safeguard the dignity and autonomy of all Georgians. Now is the time for our voices to be amplified in the halls of justice, ensuring the law mirrors the clear, bipartisan support for reproductive rights.”
Statement from MK Anderson, Director of Development & Communications, Feminist Women’s Health Center: “There is a pervasive myth in Georgia that support for abortion access only resides in metro Atlanta and city centers like it. This survey dispels that false narrative and proves that communities across Georgia agree that we should have the right to timely and accessible abortion care. While community-based organizations like the Feminist Women’s Health Center (FWHC) have known this forsome time, it is essential for policymakers to pay attention to this data when making policy decisions. The fact of the matter is that legislative bodies work for the people, and the people’s will is clear: abortion access should be protected and expanded in Georgia. FWHC is grateful to our community partners Amplify Georgia and NIRH forspearheading this community survey work, and we look forward to working with policymakers to bring Georgia closer to reproductive justice.”
Additional Key Findings:
- A majority of voters in Athens, Macon, and Savannah support abortion rights with 55% believing that abortion should be legal in all or most cases and only 11% believing abortion should be illegal in all cases.
- 71% of voters agree that “when a person decides to have an abortion, they should have access to timely, safe, legal, and affordable abortion care without shame, stigma, or punishment.”
- 58% of voters support the expansive Reproductive Freedom Act introduced in 2023 that would enshrine Georgians’ right to decide, repeal unnecessary abortion restrictions, and expand access to care.
- Support for abortion rights extends beyond party lines: 87% of Democrats, 58% of independents, and even 20% of Republicans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
- 79% of voters agree with the statement “I can hold my own personal views on abortion and still trust a pregnant person and their family to make the decision that is best for themselves.”
- Protecting abortion access is a top issue of importance in the 2024 election forDemocrats, 43% of whom make it a top priority, tied with the economy (47%) and gun violence prevention (44%). Among Republicans, the issue of abortion–to protect or even restrict it–doesn’t break the top five.
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The Amplify Georgia Collaborative (Amplify) is a home for collective, bold, abortion-out-loud programming, grounded in reproductive justice and rooted in the South. Our collaborative is anchored by nine reproductive justice organizations and allies. Together we work to protect and expand abortion access in Georgia through collaborative, issue-based, nonpartisan campaigns that provide education, produce policy wins, and build the power of communities most impacted by abortion restrictions.
The National Institute of Reproductive Health (NIRH) is an advocacy group that works directly with state and local reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations and allied groups to protect and advance just and equitable access to reproductive healthcare. Our strategy is to go on the offensive to pass laws that safeguard reproductive freedom. NIRH partners with communities to build coalitions, launch campaigns, and successfully advocate for policy change, so the fabric of reproductive freedom is harder to tear apart.
Feminist Women’s Health Center (FWHC or Feminist Center) co-chairs Amplify’s Reproductive Freedom Act campaign. FWHC is a Black-led reproductive health, rights, and justice organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. We provide direct services including abortion care, education, advocacy, and leadership development. FWHC is more than a clinic; we build the movement for reproductive justice with people across all axes of oppression so that everyone has the rights, resources, and respect to make empowered decisions.
SisterSong co-chairs Amplify’s Reproductive Freedom Act campaign. SisterSong grounds our work in Reproductive Justice, the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. This framework goes beyond simply being “pro-choice”; it acknowledges that we cannot address this issue through a single lens, because we often do not have the privilege of siloing our lived experiences.