The attitudes of many conservative Catholic bishops in the United States are not shared by most Catholics. A majority of lay Catholics support abortion rights, oppose denying Communion to politicians who support abortion rights, and favor greater inclusion of LGBT people.
On May 20, the archbishop of San Francisco announced that he will no longer allow U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to receive Communion because of her support for abortion rights. Only 31% of lay Catholics agree that politicians supporting abortion rights should be denied Communion, while 66% say they should be allowed access to the sacrament.
The view of Catholic Americans on abortion rights and Roe v. Wade are in line with the general public. About two-thirds of Catholic adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Mainline Protestants and religiously unaffiliated Americans are more likely than Catholics to say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. But all three groups differ significantly from evangelical Protestants. Still, even among evangelical Protestants, few say abortion should be illegal in all cases. CONTINUED
AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
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