Poll: 47 Percent Oppose Abortion Except in Extreme Cases

Americans tend much more toward the middle on abortion than the polarized debate on the issue would suggest, according to a new a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.Almost half the public, 47 percent, supports strict bans on abortion that would allow a mother to procure one only for a serious reason. About 9 percent say abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance, another 9 percent say it should be allowed only to save the life of the mother, and 29 percent say the procedure sho