Mixed views among students on abortion

One in three students says that it is up to the pregnant woman on whether to take the decision of abortion, according to our political poll, while one in five believes that the decision is up to both biological parents.

Students were asked “Which of these is the closest to your view on abortion?” Of the 100 students polled 32 percent said the choice of having an abortion or not is up to the pregnant woman, while 22 percent viewed abortion being up to both biological parents.

17 percent said it is justified in cases of rape, nine percent justified if the mother’s life is in danger, and nine percent said it is never justified, while 14 percent had no view. While the poll highlights the majority think it is the mothers’ or the parents’ choice, it does not show the general view for or against, as such views within these groupings was not asked.

Around 124,000 women travelled to the UK for abortions between 1980 and 2005.
However there has been a substantial increase in the number of teenagers traveling to the UK for abortions over the last three decades, with a slight decrease in recent years. The Republic and Northern Ireland accounted for around 6,000 abortions in the UK last year.

In the UK, there were over 200,000 abortions last year alone. Lord Steel, who is seen as the architect of the UK’s Abortion Act, has said he did not foresee the amount of abortions now taking place. "Everybody can agree that there are too many abortions," he told the Guardian newspaper late last year.

"I accept that there is a mood now which is that if things go wrong you can get an abortion, and it is irresponsible, really. I think people should be a bit more responsible in their activities, and in particular in the use of contraception."

- Aisling Hearne

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