Poll: 52% of Ohio voters oppose fetal heartbeat abortion ban

COLUMBUS — A slim majority of Ohio voters — 52% — oppose banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected and 61% support the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion, according to a new poll released Friday by Quinnipiac University.

In April, Ohio enacted a fetal heartbeat ban, which is now being challenged in the courts.

Ohio voters who attend religious services weekly support the fetal heartbeat abortion ban 53% to 39% percent; those who attend religious services less than once a week oppose the ban 56% to 36%, the poll found.

Should abortion be legal in all cases? Only 22 percent of Ohio voters say yes. Should it be legal in most cases? 33% say yes and 27% say no. Among Ohio voters, 10% believe abortion should be illegal in all cases.

Pollsters also asked Ohio voters about gun laws and found 48% support stricter gun laws while 46 percent oppose them. They also found 90% of Ohio voters favor background checks for all gun buyers, which is in line with national poll results on the issue.

Ohioans for Gun Safety, a grassroots group, is gathering voter signatures to present a citizen-initiated statute to the Ohio General Assembly that would mandate background checks for firearms sales, including private party sales.

The survey also asked Ohio voters how Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown are doing in their jobs. Brown, a Democrat, is the most popular with a 51% approval rating while Portman, a Republican, has a 43% approval rating.

DeWine, who signed the fetal heartbeat abortion ban into law, has an overall approval rating of 44%. Of Republicans, 58% give him high marks but his support falls to 43% among independents while a majority of Democrats — 52% — disapprove.

The poll, conducted July 17-22, contacted 1,431 Ohio voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.