Do Northern Irish people think abortion law
Posted: Sat Feb 08, 2025 9:39 am
Paula Devine, Ann Marie Gray and Goretti Horgan investigate what the 2016 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey tell us about attitudes towards abortion in Northern Ireland.
Data from the 2016 Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) Survey suggest that there is strong public support for a change in abortion law (Gray, 2017).
Northern Ireland has some of the most middle east rcs data restrictive abortion legislation in the world. Given that The Abortion Act does not apply in Northern Ireland: the relevant legislation is the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. Abortion in Northern Ireland is only permitted if a woman’s life is at risk or there is risk to her mental or physical health that is long term or permanent. It is not legal to perform an abortion in cases of foetal abnormalities (even if fatal), rape and incest.
Historically, Northern Ireland was perceived as being less conservative than the Republic of Ireland. However, in a referendum in May 2018, the Irish public voted to reform its abortion legislation. This has renewed calls to review the law in Northern Ireland, although this is hindered by the current suspension of the Northern Ireland Executive. Thus, public attitudes surveys such as NILT provide a vital role in providing independent and statistically robust indications of how the public think about key issues.
Data from the 2016 Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) Survey suggest that there is strong public support for a change in abortion law (Gray, 2017).
Northern Ireland has some of the most middle east rcs data restrictive abortion legislation in the world. Given that The Abortion Act does not apply in Northern Ireland: the relevant legislation is the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act. Abortion in Northern Ireland is only permitted if a woman’s life is at risk or there is risk to her mental or physical health that is long term or permanent. It is not legal to perform an abortion in cases of foetal abnormalities (even if fatal), rape and incest.
Historically, Northern Ireland was perceived as being less conservative than the Republic of Ireland. However, in a referendum in May 2018, the Irish public voted to reform its abortion legislation. This has renewed calls to review the law in Northern Ireland, although this is hindered by the current suspension of the Northern Ireland Executive. Thus, public attitudes surveys such as NILT provide a vital role in providing independent and statistically robust indications of how the public think about key issues.