Things You Don't Talk About in Polite Company

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MyDD :: Polls on Parental Notification and Stem Cell Research --Since it has been in the news recently, Gallup put out articles on parental consent for abortions and stem cell research. These are two issues that invoke strong emotion in the left blogosphere.

Gallup's most recent data on parental consent for abortions by minors comes from November 2005, when 69% of people were in favor of laws requiring it, consistent with historical levels that have generally been around 70%. Broken down by party, such laws are favored by 78% of Republicans, 71% of independents and 59% of Democrats. I find it interesting that age does not seem to be a factor, as young and old have similar support levels for these laws.

Then, there is recent polling about George W. Bush's recent veto against expansion of federal funding of stem cell research. 36% of people approve of the veto, while 58% disapprove. The partisan breakdown has 61% of Republicans, 33% of independents, and 19% of Democrats supporting the president's veto. The Gallup organization notes that 61% of people think that Bush is motivated by moral principle rather than political gain. Even 45% of Democrats say that Bush is motivated by personal morality compared to 46% who say that Bush is doing this for political purposes.

On both the activist left and the activist right, people see these two issues as strongly linked. Obviously, both parties (and the midde) contain sizable chunks that don't. (10:43 PM)