A new opinion poll conducted by GFK/NOP and commissioned by Abortion Rights and the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust shows 77 per cent support a woman's right to choose an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy. This is in line with previous opinion polls and demonstrates a consistent and strong pro-choice majority in Britain. British law currently lags behind public opinion - restricting the circumstances in which a woman can have an abortion and requiring the approval of two doctors.

A further 72 per cent of those polled said it was not acceptable for a woman who had been referred for an abortion to have to wait beyond three weeks for the procedure. The Government recommends that women should have to wait no longer than three weeks, but a study conducted for the Pro-choice and Sexual Health All Party Parliamentary Group showed that 27 per cent of Primary Care Trusts delayed women beyond 21days .

Only three per cent agreed with the statement ‘under no circumstances would it be acceptable to have an abortion’.

Campaign launch outside Parliament

The campaign, which is backed by many MPs, peers, doctors, nurses, sexual health organisations, trade unions, artists and students, is calling for:
• Abortion to be available at the request of the woman
• An end to unacceptable delays in service provision
• An end to minority anti-choice attacks on current abortion rights

Anne Quesney, Director of Abortion Rights said:
"This poll shows it is time for the Government to take a lead and bring the abortion law in line with overwhelming public opinion. The results reveal that the anti-choice lobby, which has been dominating the abortion debate over the last three years in the hope of silencing women and the pro-choice majority, only represents 3 per cent of the population. The Government and parliamentarians can be reassured that modernising the abortion law and securing better access to services for women would very welcome. It is 40 years since abortion was legalised in Britain – now is the time to trust women to make this very personal decision’.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Poll results

The fieldwork for the opinion poll was carried out between 2nd - 4th March 2007. One thousand people aged sixteen and over were surveyed across the UK.

‘Do you think that women should or should not have the right to choose and abortion in the first three months of pregnancy?’ 77 per cent agree
17 per cent disagreed
6 per cent did not know.

‘Do you think it is acceptable or unacceptable that a woman who has been referred for an abortion should have to wait beyond three weeks for the procedure?’
72 per cent said it was not acceptable
17 per cent said it was acceptable
7 per cent said that they did not know.

In addition, only three per cent stated that ‘under no circumstances would it be acceptable to have an abortion’.

Abortion across Europe
• Across most of Europe - Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland - women have access to abortion on request in the first three months of pregnancy. In Sweden abortion is available at the request of the woman in the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. "Abortion on request" does not require the consent of doctors – and leaves this very personal decision in the hands of individual women.

• Abortion is severely restricted in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, Poland and Portugal. But last month the Portuguese government pledged to legalise abortion following majority vote in a national referendum.

Where safe, legal abortion is not available, women’s lives are at risk. Worldwide 68,000 women die each year after unsafe abortion, according to the World Health Organisation. Many thousands of others are left with severe long-term health problems as a consequence.