Canadians favour laws governing abortion – poll

By WCR Staff

Almost two-thirds of Canadians say the unborn child should be protected at some time before birth, according to an Environics Research Group poll.

Only 30 per cent of those surveyed favour the current situation where there is no legal protection for the unborn.

Environics has conducted the October survey annually for the past five years for LifeCanada, a pro-life organization. The survey has consistently found that Canadians are uneasy with the lack of any laws governing abortion in the country.

The poll found 31 per cent of Canadians want unborn life protected from the point of conception. Another 23 per cent want legal protection at three months of pregnancy and 10 per cent after six months of pregnancy.

The survey also found that 71 per cent of Canadians favour "informed consent" laws. Such laws, which exist in several American states, would require women to be informed about the stages of fetal development, including having an ultrasound scan, and possible side effects to their health before they can have an abortion.

The highest level of support for an informed consent law is in Alberta where 81 per cent of those polled say they want such a law instituted.

Women are as likely as men to support informed consent, according to the survey.

The poll is based on 2,030 interviews and has a 2.2 per cent margin of error for all of Canada. Figures for individual provinces have a larger margin of error.

Poll respondents were told that those under age 18 can currently have an abortion without their parents' permission. Asked whether they would favour a law requiring parents' consent before abortion, 55 per cent said "yes" and 42 per cent said "no."

Another finding of the survey was that only 31 per cent of Canadians support the current funding of all abortions by the tax system. Forty-eight per cent say abortion should only be tax supported in the case of a medical emergency, such as a threat to the life of the mother or cases of rape or incest. Twenty per cent say payment for an abortion should always be a personal responsibility.

Full details of the report are available on the Internet at www.albertaprolife.com/resources/poll_2006.html.

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