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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Support for Abortion Change at 60% in Portugal
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many Portuguese adults support an amendment to their country's pregnancy termination guidelines, according to a poll by Intercampus published in Publico. 60.1 per cent of respondents would vote in favour of the proposal to ease abortion laws.
In Portugal, abortion is only allowed in cases or rape, or those involving serious health concerns to the mother and child. In a 1998 referendum, abortion remained illegal by a margin of two per cent. Only 32 per cent of eligible voters participated in that public vote.
The Socialist Party (PS) won the February 2005 parliamentary ballot in the European nation, garnering 45.3 per cent of the vote and electing 121 lawmakers to the 230-seat Assembly of the Republic. Socialist leader Jose Socrates took over as prime minister in March.
The plebiscite is scheduled for Feb. 11. The actual referendum question reads: "Do you agree that abortions, carried out in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, with the woman's consent, in a legal medical establishment, should no longer be illegal?"
In October 2006, Socrates said the change in the law seeks to "bring an end to the persecution of women" and "the prevalence of back-alley abortions." The Social Democratic Centre / Popular Party (CDS/PP) opposes the proposed change, while the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) suggests amending the law through the legislative branch.
Earlier this month, Braganza bishop Antonio Moreira Montes compared abortion with the recent execution of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, saying, "Everybody was horrified, and abortion is a variant of the death penalty. Life cannot be discussed, or put to a vote. (...) There is a contradiction in the position of those who deem themselves the guarantors of human rights, and defend abortion."
Polling Data
Would you vote in favour or against the proposal to ease abortion laws?
In favour | 60.1% |
Against | 28.6% |
Not sure | 11.3% |
Source: Intercampus / Publico
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,525 Portuguese registered voters, conducted from Jan. 5 to Jan. 9, 2006. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.