New Poll Finds Strong Majority Of Australians Support Abortion Rights

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 08 Oct 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Australian voters have become much more favorable toward abortion rights over the past 20 years, according to new findings from the Australian Election Study, the Brisbane Times reports. In 1987, 38% of Australians supported abortion rights in all circumstances, according to the Times. The new study found that 57% of Australians support right of women to have an abortion "readily when they want one," while another one-third support abortion "in special circumstances," according to the Times. Four percent of respondents oppose abortion rights under any circumstances. The study is based on polls of 1,873 voters during Australia's 2007 federal elections.

The study also showed that 77% of winning candidates in the 2007 election favored an unrestricted approach to abortion rights. A clear majority of both Labor Party and Liberal Party voters support abortion rights, the study found.

The Australian Capital Territory and the state of Victoria have decriminalized abortion, while the state of Western Australia has modernized its laws, the Times reports. However, while "abortion is readily available in other states, it remains part of the criminal code," according to the Times (Brisbane Times, 10/5).

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