An annual survey which tracks global views on abortion has found that support for abortion has decreased since 2014. Michael Robinson, SPUC Director of Communications, said: “To see a shift in public opinion against abortion is always encouraging. However, we must always remember that no matter public opinion, the killing of defenceless children in the womb will never be acceptable.”
Market research specialist Ipsos has been tracking the public perception about abortion around the globe for six years. This year’s research surveyed 17,500 people from 25 different countries.
70% of those surveyed believed that abortion should be permitted “whenever a woman decides she wants” an abortion. However, this is a 5% decline in support for abortion from 2016. This result was also 2% lower from when the survey began in 2014.
The Ipsos poll, titled “Favourability towards legalization of abortion in 2020 across countries” asked participants whether or not abortion should be permitted.
Mr Robinsons said: “There was no mention of the unborn baby in this poll. The remarkable advancements in medicine and technology mean that we have more information about life before birth than any other generation. People may have a very different response to abortion if questions were framed around the humanity of the unborn baby.”
“A positive shift”
Commenting on the results, SPUC’s Mr Robinson said: “Whilst a 5% global decline in support of abortion seems small, it is still a positive shift which is encouraging to see.
“For decades pro-abortion propaganda has been hammered into society. Abortion has been disguised as a woman’s right and a normal medical procedure.
“However, in recent years in the United Kingdom and beyond we have seen the abortion lobby attempt to further radicalize abortion law to make killing babies even easier. This increasing abortion extremism may be enough to repel some who once supported abortion.”
Are abortion views shifting?
The research from Ipsos still found a strong level of support for abortion in some Western countries with on average around 80% of the population in favour. However, support for abortion in the United States of America was considerably lower, with 64% of the public stating that “an abortion should be permitted whenever a woman wants one”. This was even lower in Latin American countries such as Brazil which saw a 53% support of abortion.
Mr Robinson said: “For more than 50 years SPUC has been at the forefront of the battle to restore full legal protection for the unborn child. As a grassroots organization we know, only too well, the important role played by pro-lifers at local level in winning over the hearts and minds of people across the country.
“We recognise that the war against the unborn will only be won in Parliament, with legislative change., However this will only be possible when individual people wake up and recognise the equal humanity of every human life.”