Poll of Ireland shows overwhelming support for continued abortion ban

Dublin, Ireland, Apr 20, 2010 / 00:17 am

A survey of the Republic of Ireland shows that 70 percent of Irish people support the constitutional protection for the unborn, including the prohibition of abortion. One pro-life leader said the “hugely reassuring” results show “overwhelming public support” for unborn children and their mothers.

The survey, commissioned by the Pro-Life Campaign, asked respondents if they favor or oppose “constitutional protection for the unborn that prohibits abortion but allows the continuation of the existing practice of intervention to save a mother’s life in accordance with Irish medical ethics.”

Seventy percent supported the constitutional protections while only 13 percent opposed it. Another 16 percent of respondents did not know or had no opinion.

The Pro-Life Campaign’s Dr. Berry Kiely announced the results last week at a press conference at Buswells Hotel in Dublin.

She said the poll is distinguished from other polls showing support from abortion by its distinction between necessary medical interventions in pregnancy and induced abortion “where the life of the unborn child is directly targeted.”

“This is a critical ethical distinction which abortion advocates constantly seek to blur,” she charged.

“Some abortion advocates claim that legalized abortion ‘confronts the reality of crisis pregnancy.’ However, this contention ignores the humanity of the unborn child throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy and the latest research highlighting the negative consequences of abortion for women.”

“If we are to have a genuinely honest debate on abortion we cannot arbitrarily airbrush the unborn child out of the debate or the many testimonies of women who regret their abortions.”

“All human beings share a common dignity by virtue of their humanity. To deny the right to life simply because the unborn child is at an early stage of development completely undermines an authentic vision of human rights,” Kiely commented.

She also said Ireland should be “immensely proud” that it is currently listed as the safest country in the world for pregnant women by the latest U.N. survey on maternal health.

The survey was conducted by Millward Brown Lansdowne and used a quota-controlled sample of 950 people over the age of 18. It was conducted between Jan. 27 and Feb. 6.