Sunday Times: Majority favour liberalising Irish abortion laws

by Safe and Legal in Ireland Abortion Rights Campaign on Monday, January 17, 2011 at 9:25am ·

Majority for abortion

 

by Ciara Kenny

MORE than eight in 10 people favour liberalising the abortion laws in Ireland.

A Red C poll for The Sunday Times has found 86% of adults are in favour of granting the right of seeking an abortion to a mother where her life is at risk.

In cases where it is thought the unborn child would not survive past birth because of a defect, 64% of people support the mother's right to terminate the pregnancy.

The majority of people remain opposed to abortion in any circumstances, but 38% say they believe it should be available on demand.

Young people are more likely to be in favour of the right to have an abortion, with 48% of 18- to 34-year-olds saying they would support this, compared with 18% of people aged over 65.

Red c interviewed a random sample of 1,005 adults nationwide by phone between January 10 and 12.

"There has been a gradual move towards the European norm on the question of abortion, and this poll is a continuation of a pattern," said Niall Behan of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA).

"There has been a marked increase over the long term in the number of people saying that it should be a woman's right to choose in all circumstances."

Abortion is prohibited under Irish law, and the constitution protects the right to life of the unborn foetus. According to the IFPA, 143,479 women travelled from the Republic of Ireland for a legal abortion abroad between 1980 and 2009. More than 4,400 women with Irish addresses had abortions in England and Wales in 2009, and 134 had an abortion in the Netherlands.

Abortion re-emerged as a political issue last month after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Irish state had failed to uphold a woman's right to a lawful abortion where the mother's life is at risk.

The court ruled that the state violated the rights of an Irish-based Lithuanian woman suffering from cancer by not providing an "effective or accessible procedure" to allow her to establish her right to a legal abortion.

Ruth Cullen of the Pro-Life Campaign said: "The recent European court decision on abortion has created the false impression that women in Ireland are somehow denied necessary life-saving treatments when pregnant. This is simply not the case."

She added that a distinction needs to be made between necessary medical interventions in pregnancy and an induced abortion, in which the life of the baby is intentionally targeted.


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  • María Recio, Victoria Darragh, DeirdreMarie OSullivan and 11 others like this.
    • Claire McGing Too bad our political parties don't mirror the overwhelming public consensus on this issue.
      January 17, 2011 at 9:29am · 6
    • Sally Hyman That's parliamentary democracy for you!!
      January 17, 2011 at 2:37pm
    • Jens Reinhard If this poll is correct, why does none of the Irish political parties go for it?
      February 8, 2011 at 1:58pm · 2
    • Jens Reinhard To give women the right to decide over their own bodies in a free and independent way, this has been one of the main pillars of the German Green party since their foundation 30 years ago. They are in the polls at 20 % at the moment.
      February 8, 2011 at 2:13pm
    • Stephanie Pollock I fully soupport legal abortion, a woman must have the complete right over her body,

      Ireland is just backward in not changing the laws
      April 30, 2011 at 7:18am · 3
    • Christine O'Brien
      The fact that a woman's body is her own is just one thing - it becomes another matter entirely in a situation of emergency or, in my case that a fatal abnormality is detected. Dealing with THAT information, facing abortion or going through ...pregnancy facing the inevitable death of the baby is daunting and emotional enough, without having to pack your bags to leave the country to do so. It's abominable that legislation would support a woman enduring the full 9 months knowing that the child would not survive, or just waiting to miscarry instead of allowing her to terminate the pregnancy. Talk about living in the dark ages!!See More
      May 29, 2011 at 2:04am · 5
    • Four For Forty - Donate For Womens' Lives Please "like" out page. We are working to support all womens rights to choose and also trying to assist women in need with funding for reproductive healthcare.
      June 14, 2011 at 7:49pm · 2
    • Rally For Choice Ireland Ahoy there - Give this page a like. Trying to bring together as many people as possible to create a big campaign in the coming year, starting with a pro-choice forum in September. Thanks!
      August 9, 2011 at 9:21am
    • Annie Whites safe ABORTION??? for who is it safe???
      October 11, 2011 at 11:27pm · 2
    • Clar Ni Ruairc Its as safe as getting a boob job a nose job or any other superficial surgery out there.
      October 27, 2011 at 2:03am · 2
    • Tomas Creamer FAIL! The Article says that the MAJORITY of people here are opposed to Abortion! LONG LIVE THE ABORTION LAWS!
      November 13, 2011 at 8:08am · 2
    • Sharon Ramsey Abortion has two victims, one dead, one wounded.
      December 15, 2011 at 6:44pm
    • Denis Harnedy Or two dead by a DIY job.
      January 7 at 5:16pm · 1
    • Taylor Abbott Abortion is never right
      January 12 at 1:46pm · 2
    • Joe Keegan ‎" 86% of adults are in favour of granting the right of seeking an abortion to a mother where her life is at risk." ...This is the present constitutional position in the 26 counties. Hopefully the Irish people will have the guts to stand up to Europe, to defend the right of all human beings to dignity regardless of intellect, physical development or age.
      January 30 at 4:55pm
    • Joe Keegan A recent poll by the Millward Brown Lansdowne institute found that 61 per cent of people in the 26 counties favoured constitutional protection for the unborn child, with 17 per cent opposed. Twenty two per cent didn't know or had no opinion.
      January 30 at 5:14pm