Nearly two thirds of Northern Irish people polled (62 per cent) say that abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest, according to a new survey from fpa in Northern Ireland ^[1]. The strong support for women's right to choose is contrary to the myth that people in Northern Ireland do not want to see abortion available under any circumstances.

Ahead of a crucial vote on 22 October on an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill to extend the 1967 Abortion Act to Northern Ireland, the survey is an important revelation.

Only a minority of Northern Irish people (20 per cent) questioned in the survey said abortion should not be legal in cases of rape or incest. This shows how strong the support for choice in Northern Ireland is. A further 17 per cent said they did not know whether abortion should be legal in this circumstance or not.

Dr Audrey Simpson OBE, Director of fpa in Northern Ireland said:

"It is time that the Northern Ireland Assembly faced up to the realities of the situation that people in Northern Ireland support the right to choose. These statistics can not be ignored and show that MLAs have a responsibility to give women in Northern Ireland the choice to have an abortion.

"If the elected members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are not willing to listen to public opinion and give women in Northern Ireland the same human rights as women in the rest of the UK, then it is up to Westminster MPs to be the voice of Northern Irish women."

fpa (Family Planning Association) is the only registered charity working to improve the sexual health and reproductive rights of all people throughout the UK. www.fpa.org.uk

^[1] The Omnibus survey of 690 men and women, aged 18-55, was conducted by Millward Brown Ulster, between19 - 29 September 2008. All research complied fully with the Market Research Society ethical Code of Conduct.