Polls & Research

Uruguayans Would Make Abortion Legal

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Uruguay believe pregnancy termination should be allowed in their country, according to a poll by Interconsult published in Últimas Noticias. 57 per cent of respondents support the law that seeks to legalize abortion in Uruguay.

Under current Uruguayan legislation, women can only terminate a pregnancy in cases of rape, health risk to the mother, or fetal defects. Several bills to legalize abortion have been previously defeated by the country’s legislators.

Tabaré Vázquez—nominee for the leftist Progressive Encounter (EP)—won the October 2004 election with 50.45 per cent of the vote, becoming the first Uruguayan president to represent a political organization other than the Red Party (PC) and the National Party-Whites (PN-B). Vázquez—a physician—has repeatedly stated he would veto any legislation that would make abortion legal.

Earlier this month, a new version of the Sexual Health and Reproduction Law was approved by both the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Senators. The bill calls for abortion to be legal in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy under certain circumstances, such as extreme poverty.

On Nov. 13, Vázquez vetoed the legislation, saying, "There is consensus that abortion is a social ill that has to be avoided. However, in countries that have liberalized abortion, the practice has increased." Legislators lack the three-fifths majority required to override a presidential veto.

Polling Data

Do you support or oppose the law that seeks to legalize abortion in Uruguay?

Support	57%
Oppose	42%
Not sure	1%

Source: Interconsult / Últimas Noticias
Methodology: Interviews to 894 Uruguayan adults, conducted from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13, 2008. Margin of error is 3.2 per cent.