Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- New polling data shows if Catholic voters knew Barack Obama voted against a measure to offer medical protection for unborn children they would be more likely to vote against him.

The same poll also showed Catholics who are active churchgoers are more likely to oppose abortion and support pro-life candidates.

The survey found that, if pro-life groups continue to drive home the point that Obama voted against a bill in the Illinois legislature to protect infants, they could make a dent in his support between now and the elections.

The poll, conducted by the National Scientific Survey Center asked both Catholic and evangelical voters if a presidential candidate voted against a law to protect babies “born alive and unharmed” after an abortion, would they still support the candidate.

The survey found 62 percent of churchgoing (or active) Catholics would be less likely to vote for such a candidate and 53 percent of non-churchgoing (secular) Catholics would as well. Another 69 percent of evangelicals said they would be less likely as well.

While both active and secular Catholics generally agreed on the infanticide votes Obama cast, they have starker differences on other abortion-related issue.

On those questions, the poll confirmed what other surveys have already shown -- that active Catholics and evangelical voters are strongly pro-life and want to support pro-life candidates only.

Asked if they would vote for a presidential candidate with a different abortion view than their own, 48 percent of evangelicals and 42 percent of active Catholics said no while only 33 percent of secular Catholics did.

Asked whether someone can be a faithful Catholic or Christian if they hold a pro-abortion position, just 39 percent of evangelicals and 40 percent of active Catholics said yes while 50 percent of secular Catholics agreed.

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Gallup Poll Finds Abortion Issue Helps John McCain Over Barack Obama With Women

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates would like the American public to believe that the abortion issue is a drag on John McCain and causes a gender gap with women voters.

However, a new Gallup Poll finds abortion actually helps McCain because of the intensity of pro-life voters and the strength of the public’s opposition to partial-birth abortion.

The Gallup poll found McCain is gaining support from the Republican base with the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in part because 63 percent of Republican women who say they are pro-life compared with the smaller 32 percent who say they support legal abortions.

Although a third of Republican women are pro-choice, McCain's selection of Palin last Friday already appears to have helped him with his female Republican base. Republican women grew more likely to support McCain, not less likely, in polling from Saturday to Monday,” Gallup said in its poll analysis.

The poll also looked at Democratic women and found that 37 percent of them say they are pro-life -- which gives a five percentage point edge to the pro-life side when Republicans and Democrats are compared.

The new Gallup survey also found that while 32 percent of Republican women are pro-abortion, just 7 percent of Republican women are backing pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama. On the other hand, Senator McCain draws the support of 9 percent of Democratic women in the poll -- giving him a two percentage point advantage in the cross-party vote.



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