A large proportion of respondents think the 24-week window for women to have a procedure should be reduced.
A large proportion of people in Great Britain think that the National Health Service (NHS) should only fund abortion procedures in the event of medical emergencies, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
The online survey of a representative national sample of 2,010 British adults sought to review the opinion of respondents on a wide range of topics related to abortion.
Personal Feeling
When asked what their personal feeling about abortion is, just under a fifth of Britons (18%) think the procedure should be permitted in all cases.
A significantly larger proportion (39%) say abortion should be permitted, but with the same restrictions that are currently in place.
Also, 18 per cent of respondents would allow abortion but under greater restrictions than now, and 14 per cent would restrict the procedure to cases such as rape, incest and to save the woman’s life.
Only five per cent of Britons feel that abortion should only be permitted to save the woman’s life.
Legality
More than a third of respondents (36%) think abortion should be legal in all cases, whereas a majority (55%) thinks that the procedure should be legal only under certain circumstances. Only three per cent of Britons would ban abortion altogether.
Funding
Just over a third of Britons (36%) believe the NHS should fund abortions whenever they are requested. However, half of respondents (49%) agree with the notion of the NHS only fund abortions in the event of medical emergencies. Just six per cent of respondents believe the NHS should not fund abortions at all.
24-Week Time Limit
A significant proportion of Britons (47%) thinks that the current time limit for an abortion—within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy—should be lowered. Over a third of respondents (36%) would maintain the current time limit, and just four per cent would increase the limit to over 24 weeks.
Women (57%) are more likely than men (37%) to support a reduction in the current 24-week time limit.
Information for Pregnant Women
Two-in-five respondents (41%) believe that pregnant women have enough access to information about alternatives to abortion, such as counselling or adoption. Three-in-ten (30%) disagree with this assessment, and 29 are not sure.
Women Under the Age of 18
Half of Britons (50%) think that women under the age of 18 should be required consent from their parents or legal guardians in order to access an abortion procedure. A third of Britons (34%) disagree with this point of view.
Re-opening the Abortion Debate
Despite the fact that Britons voiced support for changes in funding and the 24-week time, half of respondents (49%) say there is no point in re-igniting the debate on this subject, while 35 per cent believe the discussion should be re-opened.
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Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Andy Morris, Research Director, London
+ 44-203-178-3952
andy.morris@angus-reid.com
