UK Poll Finds Strong Support for Abortion Restrictions

23.05.2017

A new poll shows that most people in Britain would like to see legal time limits for abortions reduced - among women the figure is 70 per cent. 93 per cent of women want independent abortion counselling introduced and 91 per cent of women want a ban on sex-selective abortion. The results of the poll indicate that the UK population favours a more restrictive approach to abortion than Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly.

Only 1 per cent of people support pro-choice campaigners’ goal to remove all time limits on abortion, while 59 per cent of women would like the abortion time limit lowered to 16 weeks or lower.

ComRes interviewed 2,008 British adults online between 12th and 14th May 2017. Data was weighted to be representative of all British adults.

A total of 61 per cent of Scottish respondents opposed any moves towards making it mandatory for doctors to have to participate in abortion procedures against their will, while 51 per cent oppose moves to compel pharmacists to prescribe a pill against their will, if they believe that pill will end the life of an unborn child.

The poll also showed overwhelming support (76 per cent) for the proposal that doctors, should “verify in person that a patient seeking an abortion is not under pressure from a third party to undergo the abortion”. 65 per cent oppose tax-payer money being spent on abortions overseas, while 79 per cent (82 per cent of Scots) believe the law should require a waiting period of five days between an initial consultation with a doctor and an abortion taking place, in order to ensure that the mother has had enough time to consider all of the options available to her.

84 per cent of women want improved pregnancy support for women in crisis. The poll also found that 70 per cent of parents want to see the introduction of parental consent for girls 15 and under to get abortions.

Where Do They Stand? Scots Herald. May 22.