As the 40^th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision takes place on Tuesday, a majority of Americans – for the first time – believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

What’s more, seven in 10 respondents oppose Roe v. Wade being overturned, which is the highest percentage on this question since 1989.

“These are profound changes,” says Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted this survey with Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart and his colleagues.

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McInturff adds that the abortion-related events and rhetoric over the past year – which included controversial remarks on abortion and rape by two Republican Senate candidates, as well as a highly charged debate over contraception – helped shaped these changing poll numbers.

“The dialogue we have had in the last year has contributed … to inform and shift attitudes.”

View the poll results here

The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision established a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion, at least in the first three months of pregnancy.

According to the poll, 54 percent of adults say that abortion should be legal either always or most of the time, while a combined 44 percent said it should be illegal – either with or without exceptions. 

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That’s the first time since this poll question was first asked in 2003 that a majority maintained that abortion should be legal. Previously (with just one exception in 2008), majorities said abortion should be illegal.

In addition, a whopping 70 percent of Americans oppose the Roe v. Wade decision being overturned, including 57 percent who feel strongly about this.

That’s up from the 58 percent who said the decision shouldn’t be overturned in 1989; the 60 percent who said this in 2002; and the 66 percent who said this in 2005.

By comparison, just 24 percent now want the Roe v. Wade decision overturned, including 21 percent who feel strongly about this position.

Much of this change, the NBC/WSJ pollsters say, is coming from African Americans, Latinos and women without college degrees -- all of whom increasingly oppose the Supreme Court decision being overturned.

The NBC/WSJ poll was conducted Jan. 12-15 of 1,000 adults (including 300 cellphone-only respondents), and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points. 

Related: 40 years after landmark decision, restrictions on abortion grow

CHESTER, VA -- Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal came to Mitt Romney's defense today over remarks the Republican presidential nominee made Tuesday, saying he wouldn't seek new anti-abortion legislation as president.

"There's only one pro-life candidate running for president, and that's Governor Romney," Jindal told reporters. 

Tuesday, in an interview with the Des Moines Register's editorial board, Romney said, "There's no legislation with regards to abortion that I'm familiar with that would become part of my agenda." 

Jindal today went on to rebuff attacks from Democrats, including an Obama campaign conference call this morning pointing to Romney's past support for restrictions on access to abortion.

 "The reality is, its no surprise that President Obama would want to talk about anything but the economy," Jindal said. 

The remarks came after he and McDonnell visited a barbecue restaurant here in Chester, one of three stops today across a wide swath of eastern Virginia as the two men get out the vote for the Republican presidential ticket.

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McDonnell said that Romney was signaling that his presidential agenda "isn't focusing on social issues." 

"Having read those comments from Governor Romney," McDonnell said of the Register interview, "what he was saying is, his overwhelming priority is going to be creating jobs, getting the economy back on track."

Both McDonnell and Jindal are outspoken on social issues and are fervently anti-abortion -- though when asked today they would not say they were disturbed by Romney's remarks. 

Republicans are likely hoping a strong debate performance by vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan in Thursday's debate against Vice President Joe Biden will shift the conversation.

Speaking to supporters earlier, Jindal -- once a much-speculated about contender for veep himself -- said he didn't want raise expectations for Ryan, with whom he earlier served in Congress.

But Jindal spoke highly of Ryan's chances.  "I don't think its going to be a fair fight," he said.

Pointing to sections of the interview in which Romney cites his support for cutting funding to countries promoting abortion, McDonnell said the "no legislation" remarks are being taken out of context. 

"Governor Romney's pro-life.  Pro-life bills that get to his desk, there's no question in my mind he will sign." McDonnell said.  

"He's pro-life, Obama's pro-choice, and now let's talk about the economy."

Updated 12:45 p.m. - The Obama campaign is looking to inject Mitt Romney's pledge Tuesday to pursue no legislation related to abortion as president into the center of the campaign.

Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter accused Romney of trying to "cynically and dishonestly hid[e] his real positions" after he told the editorial board of the Des Moines Register that there is "no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda."

Evan Vucci / AP

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign rally on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

"On this issue and so many others, women simply just can't trust Mitt Romney," Cutter told reporters. "We're not saying that he's changed his mind on these issues, we're saying he's trying to cover up his beliefs."

The Obama team's tack is tied into their approach toward Romney since last week's debate versus President Barack Obama, painting the Republican presidential nominee as deceptive in his views so as to put a centrist veneer on his past conservative positions.

"As Barack Obama said in 2008, 'if you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from,'" said Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg in response. "Americans are tired of the same old politics as usual, and they won't be fooled by a flailing campaign's manufactured outrage. Mitt Romney will deliver real change and turn our country around."

Whether this criticism can take hold in the waning days of the 2012 campaign is another matter.

Romney has sometimes encountered difficulties in navigating his promises in the Republican primary and his pivot toward the center in the general election. Among his promises was a pledge to pursue the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," which would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks with exceptions for birth defects and the health of the mother.

"Mitt Romney is proudly pro-life, and he will be a pro-life president," Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul told NBC News in response to the candidate's comments to the Iowa newspaper. Saul also told National Review Online:  “Governor Romney would of course support legislation aimed at providing greater protections for life.”

Conservatives have otherwise been muted in criticizing Romney, seemingly allowing the candidate some leeway in campaigning against Obama.

But the president -- who's expected to assume a more aggressive posture versus Romney in the next debate -- may well try to litigate his GOP opponent's apparent shift in their next showdown on Oct. 16. The Obama campaign has used Republican rhetoric on abortion rights and contraception to build an advantage over Romney among women voters in many swing states.

"We will wait to see what happens that night," said Cutter.

DENVER-- A defiant Mitt Romney refused to concede he is running as an underdog in the crucial battleground states that define the presidential contest, and accused President Obama of distorting his positions and trying to "fool" the American people.

Brian Snyder / Reuters

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign rally in Denver, Colorado September 23, 2012.

Asked if he was now running as the underdog after a brutal two-week stretch of the campaign that included press accounts of infighting within his campaign, a leaked tape of him making controversial remarks at a fundraiser, and a slew of polls placing him slightly, but consistently behind President Obama in nearly every battleground state, Romney brushed off the question.

"I don’t pay a lot of attention to the day-to-day polls. They change a great deal," Romney said. "I know in the coming six weeks they’re very unlikely to remain where they are today. I’ll either go up or I’ll go down. It’s unlikely that we’ll just stay the same."

Pressed as to why those same polls showed him trailing in the various states - including Colorado, where he'll campaign Sunday night and Monday - Romney blamed President Obama's campaign for what he called "inaccurate" attack ads, which he complained mischaracterized his position on issues ranging from the auto bailout to abortion.

"They've been very aggressive in their attacks both on a personal basis and on a policy basis," Romney said. "I think as time goes on, people will realize that those attacks are not accurate and we'll be able to have a choice which is based upon each other’s accurate views for the country."

Later asked if he could win the upcoming October 3rd debate against President Obama, Romney returned to this vein, choosing not to answer the question directly, but to say that at least after the debates he could stop the president from trying to "fool people" into believing untrue things about him and his policy positions.

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"I think the president will not be able to continue to mischaracterize my pathway, and so I’ll continue to describe mine, he will describe his, and people will make a choice. That’s the great thing about democracy. I’m not going to try to fool people into thinking he believes things he doesn’t. He’s trying to fool people into thinking that I think things that I don’t. And that ends at the debates," Romney said.

But Romney, who regularly complains about ads by the president's campaign that he says are false and should be taken down, has also had multiple ads by his own campaign rated false by independent fact checkers, including recent attacks on welfare reform, which remain on the air.

The former Massachusetts governor also addressed his languid public campaign schedule of late, which has focused largely on fundraising and debate prep, by again blaming the president for disregarding federal campaign matching funds in 2008 and again this presidential cycle, forcing him to do the same.

"He’s doing it again this time, so to be competitive it means a lot more fundraising than I think I would like," Romney said. "I’d far rather be spending my time out in the key swing states campaigning, door-to-door if necessary, but in rallies and various meetings, but fundraising is a part of politics when you’re opponent decides not to live by the federal spending limits."

Finally, as Romney landed in Denver, where in just 10 days he will face off with President Obama in the first of three presidential debates, Romney attempted to shift expectations of an outright victory toward something more modest.

"I can’t tell you winning and losing. I mean, he’s president of the United States, he’s a very effective speaker. I hope I’ll be able to describe my positions in a way that is accurate and the people will make a choice as to which path they want to choose," Romney said.

"I don't expect this to be a contest of who can say the cutest phrase, I think it's a contest of very different directions for the country," he added later.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – One day after Rep. Todd Akin vowed to stay in the race for US Senate, dismissing calls from across the Republican party to step aside, Sen. Claire McCaskill welcomed Akin back to the campaign by bashing him for abandoning veterans during his years in Congress.

 Visiting two VFW halls near St. Louis on Wednesday, McCaskill, the Democrat Akin is hoping to unseat here in Missouri, went through a list of Akin votes that took more than two minutes to recite.

 Audiences were mostly male and senior citizen.  Survivors of combat in Vietnam – and at least one World War II veteran – looked on beneath baseball caps decorated with military insignia as she accused Akin of blocking bonuses for troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan and voting against health care benefits for reservists and national guard members.

 “So that’s kind of the list,” McCaskill said of Akin’s voting record.  “Now, I don’t have a list like that."

 The attack did not include any mention of the recent controversy embroiling Akin.

 Sunday, Akin told a television interviewer that women could biologically prevent pregnancies resulting from what he called “legitimate rape.” 

 The remarks set off a firestorm, but Wednesday McCaskill only alluded to them broadly.

 During a press conference outside a VFW home in nearby Overland, McCaskill brushed aside questions about Akin’s future.

 “The voters have spoken, and he’s the nominee,” McCaskill said.

 “We’re going to draw the contrasts that I think are necessary so that voters know that he’s outside the mainstream, he’s very extreme,” she added later.

 Tuesday, Akin let a deadline for withdrawing from the Senate race pass.

 He told NBC’s Matt Lauer during a Wednesday interview on the TODAY show that his nomination was a “decision made by the citizens of our state, not the party bosses.”

 McCaskill’s VFW visits were part of a so-called “Vets for Claire” listening tour that the campaign says was arranged prior to the Akin controversy.

 A VFW official in Overland asked reporters to hold McCaskill’s press conference outside the building, in order to keep the organization compliant with rules prohibiting political activity by 501(c)(3) charity groups.

Updated 6:12 p.m. - Rep. Todd Akin (R) did not step aside as the Republican Senate nominee in Missouri, allowing a key preliminary deadline to end his candidacy to come and go.

Akin, who's faced growing clamor from fellow Republicans to end his candidacy amid an uproar over his weekend comments about rape, said he believes it is important for him to press forward with his campaign against incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

"I want to make one thing absolutely clear: we are going to continue with this race," Akin said on the radio show of Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor and Senate candidate.

"I've had a chance now to run through a primary. And the party people said that when you run through a primary, we'll be with you."

Akin had until 5 p.m. CST today to resign his Senate nomination without facing any procedural difficulties. He could still withdraw by Sept. 25, though he would have to petition a court to remove his name from the ballot, and have to pay costs associated with reprinting the ballots.

National Republicans have undertaken efforts to force the six-term congressman from the race. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has canceled its advertising reservations, and a pro-Republican super PAC has said it no longer plans to invest in the campaign, either. Top Republican senators have also canceled a planned fundraiser for Akin on Sept. 19.

Akin said he'd seen an influx of small-dollar donations since the initial uproar emerged on Sunday, and he said he'd received supportive calls from other colleagues in Congress, though he did not say who.

More significantly, national Republicans have begun openly agitating for Akin's ouster. Missouri's past five Republican senators released a joint statement today saying "the right decision is to step aside."

Orlin Wagner / AP

Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., talks with reporters while attending the Governor's Ham Breakfast at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Mo.

Akin's controversy stems from comments he made last weekend on "The Jaco Report" on KTVI FOX 2 News, on which he said "legitimate rape" rarely results in pregnancy in victims. Akin has since apologized, and said he was mistaken to assert that rape culdn't result in pregnancy. He released a television ad to that effect this morning.

Republicans had high hopes of beating McCaskill before Akin made his comments over the weekend. But the congressman's persistence in the race could jeopardize the GOP's chances in this key race, which provides one of their best opportunities to achieve the net gain of four seats Republicans need this fall to take control of the Senate in the next Congress.

A weeklong firestorm over the Susan G. Komen foundation's decision to cut off -- and, on Friday, restore -- a grant to Planned Parenthood marked one of the high points in a political battle targeting the finances of the nationwide network of reproductive health clinics.

The Komen Foundation, the largest and most visible breast cancer charity in the U.S., announced on Friday that it would honor its six-figure grants to Planned Parenthood after having announced earlier in the week that it had decided to halt its support for the group. Komen had cited the fact that Planned Parenthood faced a congressional investigation -- in this case, led by conservative House Republicans -- as the impetus for its initial decision. 

"We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood," Komen founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker said in a statement.

Brinker reversed the group's initial decision, and amended Komen's grant criteria to only exclude groups under criminal investigation. Brinker said Komen would honor its existing grants to Planned Parenthood and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants.

Planned Parenthood is a group that provides a number of services to women under the banner of reproductive health. The clinics nationwide provide contraception and health screening, including for breast cancer. Komen's grants are meant to support the cancer screening.

But Planned Parenthood also provides abortions to women, drawing the ire of opponents of abortion rights, including a number of Republican members of Congress.

The reversal was only the culmination of a weeklong battle that intertwined politics and health issues; but the fight over Planned Parenthood's funding was hardly new to the political arena.

House Republicans voted in February of 2011 -- shortly after they had been sworn into office, and retaken the majority in that chamber -- to strip federal funding of Planned Parenthood, acting on a campaign promise they had made during the campaign in 2010.

That vote, on an amendment by Indiana Rep. Mike Pence attached to a government funding bill, evolved into a central sticking point of the April fight between House Republicans and President Obama which almost led to a government shutdown. Republicans, led by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), had pushed the restriction ostensibly as part of a larger effort to cut spending from the federal budget. But President Obama held firm in opposition to the Planned Parenthood cuts, though Republicans were ultimately successful in including an effort to ban the use of federal funds to subsidize abortion procedures in Washington, D.C.

The issue resurfaced in October of 2011, when Florida Rep. Cliff Stearns (R), the chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, launched an investigation into Planned Parenthood, and whether the group had impermissably used federal funds to pay for abortions.

It was that investigation which the Komen foundation had initially cited in its decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood.

Supporters of abortion rights also pointed to Komen's hiring of Karen Handel, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate in Georgia who opposes funding Planned Parenthood, for the breast cancer charity's initial decision this week to cancel its grant.

"Karen did not have anything to do with this decision. This was decided at the board level, and by our mission," Brinker said Thursday on MSNBC.

But for as much the Komen foundation fought off the perception that its decision was politically motivated, its decision led to familiar dividing lines.

"Politics should never come between women and their health care, and I am very glad that Komen did the right thing and reversed their misguided and deeply damaging decision," Washington Sen. Patty Murray, a top Democrat in the Senate, said in reaction to Friday's announcement.

And EMILY's List, a group that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, had rallied its supporters behind the fight against the original Komen decision.

"Our brave women in the Senate are already standing up to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, signing on to a letter urging them to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore their grants to Planned Parenthood," the group's president, Stephanie Schriock, said in a statement. "Weeks like this one just highlight the absolutely critical need for women’s voices to be heard in Congress."

Conservative Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) lauded the decision, which he had originally urged in a letter to Brinker last year.

"This is a welcome, long-overdue decision that will make Komen more effective in the fight against breast cancer," Vitter said in a statement earlier this week. " Komen does tremendous good by supporting education and research to fight breast cancer, and it was clear that their association with Planned Parenthood was unnecessary to advance that core mission."

Vitter said after Friday's announcement: "While Komen now claims that they don’t want their mission to be ‘marred by politics,’ unfortunately it seems that Komen caved to political pressure from the pro-abortion movement and its enforcers in the media."

DES MOINES, Iowa – With only 20 days until the Iowa caucuses, four GOP candidates made their pitch to social conservatives tonight at the premiere of an anti-abortion documentary narrated by the former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum addressed the 1200 person crowd before the house lights dimmed for the “The Gift of Life” premiere.

“I do want you to take note,” Huckabee told the crowd. “There were four candidates who cleared their schedules, and made this a priority event.”

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, trailing in Iowa polls, won the biggest applause from the crowd tonight – and aimed his remarks at his competitors.

“I have some problems with some of the folks who running for office these days when they say, ‘I believe life begins at conception.’  That’s like, I say, ‘I believe the sun rises.’” Santorum said, to laughs.

“Why would you say you believe something that’s a fact?” Santorum added. It seemed to be a reference, at least in part, to Gingrich, who spoke minutes earlier in favor of a congressional bill that would define personhood as beginning at conception – though Santorum said later tonight he was talking about a number of his opponents. "I know that there have been several candidates for president who have stated they believe life begins at conception – and as I said, it’s not a belief, its a fact," Santorum told NBC News.

During her remarks, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann attacked the Obama administration for considering – before reversing course – making the “Plan B” morning-after pill available on pharmacy shelves, “where little girls could find it next to bubble gum and next to M&M’s."

"President Obama is so tied up in his reelection that even he knew that was one step too far,” Bachmann said. Governor Rick Perry touted his record defunding Planned Parenthood in Texas, where he said 12 clinics have closed as a result. He called the new film a tactic in the fight against abortion, saying, “imagine the difference you can make not in just one life, but in two.”

Attacks on Gingrich awaited people after the movie premiere.  A group billed as "Iowans for Life" paid for fliers on cars that read, "The bottom line: Newt Gingrich is a pro-life fraud."

But as Huckabee pointed out during his short remarks inside the theater: “I think it is significant that all four of the candidates who are present tonight have endorsed life. And that ought to be very important.”