KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new poll of likely Missouri voters shows sharp divisions over the abortion debate after a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

A Remington Research Group poll surveyed 1,066 likely 2022 general election voters in Missouri from May 4-5.

The poll showed support for sending the abortion question back to state control, but also showed that most residents think Missouri’s proposed abortion ban is too strict.

The poll also showed strong bipartisan support for keeping birth control legal.

According to the poll, 48% of likely voters surveyed support overturning Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion up to the states, compared with 40% who do not want the decision overturned and 12% who were not sure.

The results varied by political party and region, with 72% of Republicans, 18% of Democrats and 40% of nonpartisan voters wanting the decision overturned.

Voters in Kansas City were also divided on the issue, with 49% of respondents wanting the decision overturned and 45% wanting it to stand. Voters in Cape Girardeau and Springfield showed stronger support for handing abortion regulations back to the states.

Despite voters wanting the decision left up to the states, most voters surveyed said that Missouri’s trigger law, which would ban all abortions except in cases of a medical emergency, was too restrictive. There are no exemptions for rape or incest survivors. 

Forty-four percent of respondents thought the proposal was too restrictive, compared with 30% who thought the proposed restrictions are about right and 17% who said the restrictions didn’t go far enough; 9% of respondents were unsure.

The response on this issue varied by party, with 23% of Republicans saying the proposed ban was too restrictive, compared with 72% of Democrats and 48% of nonpartisan voters.

There was not a significant difference between men and women polled, which mirrors national polling trends.

Strong majorities of every demographic support keeping birth control legal. Of those polled, 63% said “no” when asked if birth control methods like IUDs and Plan B should be outlawed.

That majority extended across ideological lines, with 48% of Republicans, 83% of Democrats and 64% of nonpartisan voters saying that those birth control methods should not be outlawed.

A strong majority of voters surveyed, 68%, also said that they oppose abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Democrats were evenly split on the issue, with 65% of Republicans and 57% of nonpartisan voters saying they opposed abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Remington Research’s poll has a margin of error of +/-3% with a 95% level of confidence. Remington Research Group was formed by Axiom Strategies, which was founded by Republican political operative Jeff Roe.