September 16, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The majority of people in Britain would support drafting new legislation concerning pregnancy termination, according to a poll by Communicate Research for LifeUK. 68 per cent of respondents would back a measure to reduce the time limit on abortion from the current 24 weeks to 12 weeks.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The majority of people in Britain would support drafting new legislation concerning pregnancy termination, according to a poll by Communicate Research for LifeUK. 68 per cent of respondents would back a measure to reduce the time limit on abortion from the current 24 weeks to 12 weeks.

Abortion has been legal in Britain since 1967. The time limit for legal abortions is currently set at 24 weeks, or roughly six months into a pregnancy. British women do not have to pay for an abortion if they qualify for the procedure under the terms of the National Health Service (NHS).

Any change to existing regulations would be subject to a vote in the House of Commons. Legislators are expected to debate on whether the country’s abortion legislation should be amended in the coming weeks.

On Sept. 12, governing Labour party legislator Jim Dobbin, chairman of the pro-life all-party parliamentary group, expressed his satisfaction with the survey’s results, saying, "It shows changes in attitudes out there among the general public that mirror what I feel is happening politically. I have started to hear changed views from members of my own party who have traditionally been pro-choice. Gradually people are starting to think about these issues in some depth."

On Sept. 14, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams also called for changes in existing legislation, declaring, "People are not happy about abortion as a back-stop to contraception. It’s not like having a tooth out."

Polling Data

Would you support or oppose the introduction of each of a law to reduce the time limit on abortion from the current 24 weeks, or nearly six months pregnancy, to 12 weeks which is closer to the European average?

Support	68%
Opposed	24%
Refused	3%
Don’t know	5%

Source: Communicate Research / LifeUK

Methodology: Interviews with 1,001 British adults, conducted from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, 2007. No margin of error was provided.

Complete Poll (PDF)

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