Survey shows 50% favour abortions

This figure comprised the 34.7 percent of people who believed that abortion should be legal under certain circumstances (eg rape, incest, life in danger) and the 15 percent in favour of women having the right to choose.

According to 63.5 percent, the current law was harmful to women’s health.

Ethnicity was not a major factor in determining who was pro-choice.

Approximately 47.8 percent of the people in the survey had an unfavourable perception of abortion, but 18 percent believe abortions should take place if a family member became pregnant through rape.

The statistics were revealed yesterday by Aspire head Lynette Seebaran-Suite at Aspire’s research and media launch at Crowne Plaza.

She said, “Many people have terminations or recommend terminations even when they may be morally against the idea of abortion, and that shows you the desperation level and turmoil women go through.”

The survey was conducted by Caribbean DMS Ltd in the last quarter of last year and comprised 918 people.

Aspire has been lobbying for a review of the existing abortion laws on the grounds that it is a public health issue and current legislation has been ineffective in preventing abortions. Aspire also sees law reform as a social justice issue since women with money can access safe abortions.

Seebaran-Suite said Aspire’s research on sexual and reproductive health at public health facilities revealed that 3,000 to 4,000 admissions with complications from unsafe abortions took place in 1999. She said the statistics were still relevant.

International statistics and ratios for the Caribbean and Latin America indicate that for every unsafe abortion at a public health facility, two others are taking place in the country. Seebaran-Suite said, “That demonstrates the magnitude of the abortion problem.”

Seebaran-Suite said the Government has been unresponsive to the call for dialogue on the issue, so Aspire has seen the need for empirical data for public discourse.

Although 43.8 percent of the people polled had some knowledge of the abortion law, 57 percent did not. Seebaran-Suite said the statistics show the ambiguity with the current legal situation and need for dialogue.

Former Family Planning Association chairman Emile Elias called for Prime Minister Patrick Manning to instruct the relevant ministers to contact non-governmental organisations. Elias, the featured speaker, said NGOs should receive the funding and support to carry out programmes needed in the country. He criticised the inaction by successive governments to deal with the abortion issue. Elias said a survey of 3,000 mothers 30 years ago found that 80 percent had not planned their last pregnancy.