The Art of Polling

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Polls leading up to the death of Terri Schiavo made it appear Americans had formed a consensus in favor of ending her life. However, a new Zogby poll with fairer questions shows the nation clearly supporting Terri and her parents and wanting to protect the lives of other disabled patients.

The Zogby poll found that, if a person becomes incapacitated and has not expressed their preference for medical treatment, as in Terri's case, 43 percent say "the law presume that the person wants to live, even if the person is receiving food and water through a tube" while just 30 percent disagree.

Another Zogby question his directly on Terri's circumstances.

"If a disabled person is not terminally ill, not in a coma, and not being kept alive on life support, and they have no written directive, should or should they not be denied food and water," the poll asked.

A whopping 79 percent said the patient should not have food and water taken away while just 9 percent said yes.

The poll also lent support to members of Congress to who passed legislation seeking to prevent Terri's starvation death and help her parents take their lawsuit to federal courts.

"When there is conflicting evidence on whether or not a patient would want to be on a feeding tube, should elected officials order that a feeding tube be removed or should they order that it remain in place," respondents were asked.

Some 18 percent said the feeding tube should be removed and 42 percent said it should remain in place.

The poll found that 49 percent of Americans believe there should be exceptions to the right of a spouse to act as a guardian for an incapacitated spouse. Only 39 percent disagreed.

When asked directly about Terri's case and told the her estranged husband Michael "has had a girlfriend for 10 years and has two children with her" 56 percent of Americans believed guardianship should have been turned over to Terri's parents while 37 percent disagreed.
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This is interesting, isn't it?

The MSM was gleefully reporting that the vast majority of Americans were falling in lock step with their "right to kill" agenda.

The infamous ABC poll, released March 21, revealed:

Americans broadly and strongly disapprove of federal intervention in the Terri Schiavo case, with sizable majorities saying Congress is overstepping its bounds for political gain.

The public, by 63 percent-28 percent, supports the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, and by a 25-point margin opposes a law mandating federal review of her case. Congress passed such legislation and President Bush signed it early today.

That legislative action is distinctly unpopular: Not only do 60 percent oppose it, more — 70 percent — call it inappropriate for Congress to get involved in this way. And by a lopsided 67 percent-19 percent, most think the elected officials trying to keep Schiavo alive are doing so more for political advantage than out of concern for her or for the principles involved.

GOP Groups

Views on this issue are informed more by ideological and religious views than by political partisanship. Republicans overall look much like Democrats and independents in their opinions.

But two core Republican groups — conservatives and evangelical Protestants — are more divided: Fifty-four percent of conservatives support removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, compared with seven in 10 moderates and liberals. And evangelical Protestants divide about evenly — 46 percent are in favor of removing the tube, 44 percent opposed. Among non-evangelical Protestants, 77 percent are in favor — a huge division between evangelical and mainline Protestants.

Conservatives and evangelicals also are more likely to support federal intervention in the case, although it doesn't reach a majority in either group. Indeed, conservative Republicans oppose involving the federal courts, by 57 percent-41 percent.

Many pro-death proponents took particular pleasure in citing the FOX poll findings, released March 31.

By a significant margin the public views the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube as an act of mercy rather than an act of murder, according to the latest FOX News poll.

...a 54 percent majority sees the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube as "an act of mercy" and almost a third see it as "an act of murder" (29 percent), 7 percent say "neither" and 11 percent are unsure.

Earlier in the month, 59 percent of Americans said they would remove her feeding tube if they were Terri's guardian and 24 percent would keep it inserted (March 1-2).

Among those most likely to believe removing the feeding tube was an act of murder are blacks (50 percent), Republicans (39 percent), conservatives (38 percent) and those under age 30 (35 percent). At 67 percent, self-identified liberals are most likely to call it an act of mercy, as do clear majorities of Democrats (60 percent), men (58 percent) and independents (56 percent).

ABC's belief that "Republicans overall look much like Democrats and independents in their opinions" was touted as proof that those supporting the Schindlers were fringe wackos, religious zealots.

The Vatican's strong words against pulling Terri's feeding tube were characterized as just another indication of the Church being woefully out of touch with the modern world.

Now that the public has become more informed about Terri's case, learning that she was not terminally ill or in a coma, that she was not on any life support other than being supplied nutrition and hydration, public opinion has undergone a dramatic transformation.

According to Zogby, "A whopping 79 percent said the patient should not have food and water taken away while just 9 percent said yes."

Opinion shifted away from favoring the "right to kill" crowd and the liberal agenda on all other fronts as well, even in respect to the involvement of Congress.

It appears that misinformation was responsible for the early numbers. Once people understood the specifics of the Terri Schiavo case opinion turned.

George Felos and Michael Schiavo again and again referenced the initial polls, citing the "fact" that America was staunchly in support of their efforts to have Terri killed.

I imagine that they would prefer Zogby's numbers not receive the attention bestowed on the early numbers.

Don't expect to find the Zogby poll results on ABC's website anytime soon.