* Capitol News Illinois…

A new survey released this week suggests Illinoisans are more moderate on the issue of abortion than the current Democratic-controlled General Assembly, but it is unclear whether that will cost Democrats votes in November.

The poll by the Chicago-based firm Ogden & Fry – which is owned by a Republican candidate for Cook County Board – found that 40 percent of those responding describe themselves as “pro-choice with some restrictions,” including limits on late-term abortions, while nearly 25 percent describe themselves as “pro-life with exceptions” for things like rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother.

That puts nearly two-thirds of those surveyed somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, with only 21.5 percent describing themselves as 100-percent “pro-choice” and 14 percent identifying as 100-percent “pro-life.”

First, there is a world of difference between being pro-choice with some exceptions and pro-life with a few limited exceptions.

* I passed on that poll result because of the wording…

Abortion is one of the most divisive topics of the day. How do you consider yourself?

100% Pro-Life
Pro Life with exceptions (rape, incest, life of mother, etc.)
Pro Choice with some restrictions e.g. partial-birth abortions, late term abortions, etc.
100% Pro Choice (legal until the moment of birth including partial-birth abortions)

“100% Pro-Life” is not defined, but all other stances are. Also, using “etc.” in a poll question is a bit odd. And, “until the moment of birth”? Yeah, not loaded at all. There was also this question…

Are you more or less likely to support a candidate who believes an elective abortion should be legal until the moment of birth?

I’m not sure what that actually means, but 51.9 percent said they’d be less likely. That’s usually not enough to move actual numbers in campaigns, however. You normally need a much higher result than that to see an impact on real life votes.

* There are some other significant poll results, though. Back to the article…

Perhaps more importantly, 78 percent of those surveyed said they believe parents should be notified before their minor child receives an abortion, including 35 percent who supported a judicial bypass in situations where parental notification is not possible or not in the child’s best interest.

Even among self-identified Democrats, 61.6 percent said they support some level of parental notification requirement.

Repealing PNA has never polled well, but there might be a political way to manage it. For example, I told subscribers recently about a mailer attacking Rep. Mike Zalewski (D-Riverside) for voting against repealing PNA…

When the Illinois legislature took steps to protect access to abortion care for all people in Illinois, Mike Zalewski voted with every Republican in Springfield to block younger women from freely accessing reproductive care. His vote protected outdated parental notification requirements – even when a person is raped or the victim of incest – putting the health and safety of young women at great risk.

* Anyway, more results…

Do you approve or disapprove of the job Joe Biden is doing as President?

Approve 50%
Disapprove 48%
Unsure or never heard of him 2%

Do you approve or disapprove of the job JB Prtizker is doing as Governor?

Approve 51%
Disapprove 46%
Unsure or never heard of him 3%

The article had numbers on both of those people which didn’t match up with my math. You can do the math yourself if you’d like.