Pro-woman lobby
A ComRes poll that showed 90 per cent of British women believed they should be warned of the physical and psychological dangers of abortion has boosted a flurry of activity in Westminster.
‘According to Life’ – a national pro-life charity – welcomed the poll that showed 90 per cent of women and 87 per cent of men in agreement that it was a woman’s right ‘to be informed of all the physical, psychological and emotional risks associated with abortion’.
The survey also found that 80 per cent of men and 76 per cent of women also agreed that there should be a compulsory cooling-off period between a diagnosis of pregnancy and an abortion.
Some 81 and 82 per cent of men and women respectively agreed that doctors should be required by law to provide access to advice and information about alternatives to abortion.
A statement by Life said, ‘This should give a big boost to an early day motion recently tabled by new MP Therese Coffey, asking the Government to act on the advice of the Royal College of Psychiatrists that women be warned of the risks of abortion to their mental health; and to require that professional counselling be provided for all women seeking abortion on mental health grounds.
‘This is seeking to ensure that women do not undergo so important and irrevocable an operation as abortion unless they have given fully informed consent to it, that they know there are realistic alternatives and practical help at hand, and are acting of their own free will’.
