A new poll today shows the majority of people are in favour of repealing our abortion laws.
However, they think terminations should only be allowed in limited circumstances. Today’s Irish Times carries the latest Ipsos/MRBI survey.
It finds 55% of people here believe the 8th Amendment should be repealed, giving us abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and rape. Only 19% think we should go further with terminations on demand, as in the UK.
There’s still 18% that don’t want to repeal the 8th Amendment and just 8% had no opinion. Overall there was no major difference between men and women, despite women being marginally more in favour of retaining a blanket ban.
In age terms those who are younger are more inclined to want to repeal the 8th. And there’s an urban country divide with Connaught-Ulster the biggest opponents of abortion, while Dublin is most open to it.
A Citizens Assembly will meet for the first time later this month to consider the future of the 8th Amendment, with discussions starting in November.
