Poll: U.S. divided on abortion

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WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- U.S. residents remain split on abortion, with 33 percent saying the debate should be reopened and 51 percent disagreeing, a poll released Tuesday indicated.

Angus Reid Public Opinion found a gap between respondents' personal feelings on abortion and what they think the law should be. For example, 30 percent said there should be no legal restrictions on abortion, while 20 percent believe abortion is morally right in any circumstance where a woman believes it is necessary.

Only 15 percent of those surveyed think abortion should be completely banned, while 46 percent say it should be legal with some restrictions. When the question was framed in terms of personal beliefs, just over one quarter, 26 percent, say abortion should be legal only when a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or a woman's life is in danger, 15 percent say it should only be done to save a woman's life and 9 percent say there should be more restrictions than under current law.

Angus Reid, a Canadian polling company based in Toronto, surveyed 1,002 members of its Springboard America panel online July 8 and July 9. The margin of error is 3.1 percent.