Less than a third of women “prefer” our abortion status quo

This week, Angus Reid released the results of a new abortion poll. It contains some interesting data.

Rather discouragingly, a large number of Canadians still aren’t aware that abortion is legal through all nine months of pregnancy in Canada. Only 23% knew that a woman “can have an abortion at any time during her pregnancy, with no restrictions whatsoever.”

A whopping 45% thought that a woman “can have an abortion only during the first three months of her pregnancy, with no other restrictions.” My guess is that it is hard for many Canadians to believe that woman in her eighth month of pregnancy can abort her child for any reason.

Respondents were then informed of the legal status quo and asked for their opinions. Here’s where it gets really interesting: 43% of men want the status quo as is – abortions available at any time with no restrictions. Only 27% of women – not even a third – feel the same way.

So how would women prefer to see abortion regulated in Canada?

24% – Women being able to have an abortion only during the first three months of their pregnancy, with no other restrictions

17% – Women being able to have an abortion during the first three months with no restrictions and then during the last six months but only if their life is in danger, if they have been the victim of rape, or if the fetus has serious defects

11% – Women being able to have an abortion during the first three months of their pregnancy, and only if their life is in danger, if they have been the victim of rape, or if the fetus has serious defects

9% – Women being able to have an abortion at any time during their pregnancy, but only if their life is in danger, if they have been the victim of rape, or if the fetus has serious defects

6% – Not sure

5% -Women being forbidden from having an abortion under any circumstances

Most women want to see restrictions on abortion. Two thirds of women, exactly 66%, do not “prefer” to have abortion on demand available to them.

It’s interesting that a larger percentage of men than women prefer our “any time for any reason” reality. Why is that? And why do women want more restrictions placed on abortion? This result seems to run contrary to our cultural narrative.

I don’t have the answers to these questions and I don’t think studies of this nature have ever been conducted in Canada, which is really unfortunate. I wish I had a money tree to fund more focused research.

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Andrea adds: The money tree, oh the money tree. Yes. I need that one too.

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