The latest Gallup poll on abortion is in and - for the third time in several years - it confirms that most Americans share the pro-life point of view.

The poll points out that the overall shift towards more conservative views on the issue that began over a year ago has continued, with 47% of respondents claiming to be "pro-life" vs. 45% who say they are "pro-choice".

While the gap between the two opinions is not very significant, it does represent a firming of pro-life opinion in the country, prompting Gallup to refer to it as "the new normal" on the issue.  It's also worth pointing out that these last few Gallup polls on the issue represent the first significant change on the issue in over a dozen years (when the pro-life position was at a twenty point deficit).

Gallup also points out that the trend towards more pro-life views is consistent across all age groups, as you can see in the graph below.  Note the rapid growth among the youngest age group...which suggests some political heartburn for liberal Democrats in future years.

The numbers reflect years of hard work by pro-life activists not only to highlight the issue, but to do so in terms (and on related issues) that bring the issue of abortion into stark relief, such as on partial birth abortion, legal liability for harming an unborn child, as well as something as simple as ultra-sound technology.

Given that politics is about math, it will be interesting to watch "the new normal" have an impact on elections.