New poll: Majority of Latina/o population supports reproductive rights

A new survey released from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health found that “strong majorities” of Latina/os registered to vote support “access to legal abortion, affirm that they would offer support to a close friend or family member who had an abortion, and oppose politicians interfering in personal, private decisions about abortion,” the group reports.

The research, which was conducted by Lake Research Partners, was part of a national survey of 600 registered Latina/o voters. The survey asked nuanced questions regarding abortion rights, questions were asked in English and Spanish and it included about 200 surveys conducted via cell phone.

According to the polling data (.pdf):

• A strong majority of Latino registered voters (74 percent) agrees that a woman has a right to make her own personal, private decisions about abortion without politicians interfering.
• Nearly three in four Latino registered voters (73 percent) agree that we should not judge someone who feels they are not ready to be a parent.
• Two‐thirds of Latino voters (67 percent) say they would give support to a close friend or family member who had an abortion.
• Most Latino voters seem willing to disagree with church leaders on the legality of abortion.
• Finally, a majority of Latino voters agree that money should not determine access to abortion.

This past year, an anti-abortion rights group prepared to launch a billboard campaign in Los Angeles targeting Latinas. The billboards were to say in both English and Spanish that “the most dangerous place for a Latino is in the womb.”

The group behind the billboard is the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles. The organization’s billboards are an almost word-for-word copy of billboards from a Texas-based group called Heroic Media that targeted African-American women. Heroic Media’s billboard’s said, “The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.”

The National Latina Institute issued a press release immediately following news of the billboards, denouncing them. The group said, “These offensive billboards are nothing more than political ploys designed to stigmatize Latina women and communities of color and restrict access to reproductive health care.”

Loretta Ross, national coordinator for SisterSong, told The Florida Independent that the billboards are a “vicious attack on Latinas.” The billboards were eventually brought down.