Vi ews on abortion . 4 , 1 r: Mary Kenny's article on abortion and
"le press (28 July) contains some very Misleading statements about public opinion oo this subject. She says that 'the British are broadly sPin', gives figures of 56 per cent for and 44 Per cent against abortion on request, and refers to an article in New Society on 22 March. But the National Opinion Poll survbeY conducted for the Abortion Law "form Association, on which that article Was based, shows quite different figures. Asked whether abortion should be 'legally available for all who want it', only 29 per vent disagreed, 56 per cent agreed, and the °fher 15 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed. There was nothing in the survey to suggest that 'just under half entertain reservations and misgivings about abortion' or that 29 per cent are 'completely against the rerMination of pregnancy'; in fact only 29 Per cent implied reservations or misgivings, and only 14 per cent disagreed strongly with abortion on request.
She says that 'more recent studies done by Gallup indicate that a substantial majority of people are against late abortion'. But this is true of the most enthusiastic supporters of legal abortion, all of whom want it performed as early as possible. Even so, most people agree that late abortion remains appropriate in a tiny proportion of special cases, such as the 1 per cent performed under the present law. The Gallup Poll survey conducted for the BBC Brass Tacks television programme, which is what she presumably means, did show that a large majority is against late abortion except in such special cases; but it also showed that, on the question of abortion after 12 weeks, only 25 per cent thought it should never be allowed, 54 per cent thought it should be allowed as it is now, 5 per cent thought it should be allowed without restrictions, and 16 per cent did not answer.
She says that 'nearly half the British people are against abortion', without giving any further evidence or qualification. In fact all the available public opinion surveys which have been conducted for this and other organisations show that a liberal abortion law is supported by a substantial majority and opposed by a minority of less than a quarter of the population. From this perspective, the anti-abortionists can hardly complain about the behaviour of the national press.
Sharon Spiers Abortion Law Reform Association, 88a Islington High Street, London Ni
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