Leading opinion pollsters YouGov: Over half of women believe British abortion law is too permissive

More than half of women in England, Wales and Scotland believe that the time limit for abortion should be reduced or that abortion should be banned in all cases except medical emergencies. A large-scale opinion survey by the polling company YouGov (follow link to PDF and go to bottom of page 12) shows that women feel the current UK abortion law, which allows abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy for most reasons, is too permissive. 49% of women favour some kind of reduction in the time limit, with a further 5% favouring a ban on the procedure except in medical emergencies. Almost a quarter of all women (23%) believe that the abortion limit should be lowered below 20 weeks.

Women overwhelmingly reject any further liberalisation of the time limit, with just 1 in 20 believing that abortions for reasons other than medical emergency should be allowed after 24 weeks.

More broadly, 37% of all those sampled - men and women - favoured some reduction in the time limit, with a further 6% favouring a total ban on abortion, meaning that at least 43% of people believe that the current abortion law is too permissive.

Young people (aged 18-24) were significantly more likely to favour a reduction in the abortion time limit than older people, with 43% favouring some kind of reduction. Another 8% of young people believe that abortion should be banned altogether, meaning that slightly more than half of 18-24 year olds believe that the law as it stands is too permissive.

LIFE spokesperson Joanne Hill said:

“At LIFE, we have always recognised that significant numbers of people in the UK believe that our current abortion law is too permissive. These data clearly confirm that fact. In a week when the House of Commons is debating attitudes to sex education, we must think carefully about whether the abortion law is in touch with public attitudes.”

“There have always been two arguments for the 24 week limit; that it represents a social/political compromise taking into account public opinion, and that it represents the lower limit of foetal viability. The second argument already looks weak in an age when the best special care baby units are regularly saving babies born prematurely before 24 weeks. Now the first is also looking shaky. It is time for policy makers to take note that the tide is turning against the liberal Abortion Act and take measures to respond to the expressions of concern from the public, especially women.”