Most Virginians Disapprove of New Ultrasound Law

A narrow majority of Virginia voters oppose the state's new law requiring most women to get an ultrasound before they undergo an abortion, according to a new poll out Wednesday.

The Quinnipiac University poll found that 52 percent of registered voters in the state opposed the GOP-authored measure, which was signed into law earlier this month by Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell. Forty-one percent support the measure.

Somewhat surprisingly, the measure was more unpopular with men than with women, with 56 percent of male voters saying they disapproved compared to 49 percent of women. When asked if they thought the ultrasound could change women’s minds about the abortion, only 12 percent of those surveyed said "many" women would be affected by it. Forty-five percent said "some" women would be.

An early version of the proposal would have required some women to undergo an invasive, transvaginal ultrasound, but that provision was ultimately stripped from the bill after it drew national attention. Regardless, the more narrow mandate has still drawn criticism from Democrats and their like-minded allies who see it as an invasion of a woman's privacy and a last-ditch effort to convince people to change their mind about having an abortion.

According to the Quinnipiac survey, 61 percent of Republicans approve of the ultrasound mandate, while 31 percent disapprove. Those results were largely mirrored by Democrats, with 67 percent disapproving of the law and 27 approving of it. Fifty-six percent of independents opposed it, while 39 percent approved.