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MALTATODAY 14 July 2019

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15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 JULY 2019 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 although a majority still op- pose abortion in all circum- stances bar one. Almost half of under-35s (49.7%) agree with abor- tion if the mother's life is in danger as opposed to 32.1% who disagree. There is also a very slim majority in favour of abortion in this circum- stance among those aged be- tween 36 and 50 with 43% in favour and 42.4% against. The attitude among those aged 51 and over was against abortion with opposition g r o w i n g s t r o n g e r among el- derly peo- ple. In those cases where the baby is going to be born with a severe disability, more than a quarter (27.4%) of those aged between 18 and 35 agree with abortion while 52.1% disagree. Among middle-aged voters (36-50), 24% agree with abor- tion in this circumstance and 58.9% disagree. Opposition to abortion in this case is strongest among those aged 51 and over with disagreement running at a maximum of 79% among those aged 65 and over. A quarter of the younger generation (25.4%) agree with a b o r t i o n in rape c a s e s but 65.6% disagree. Opposi- tion to abortion as a result of rape runs above 90% among the older generations (51+). Support for abortion drops to even lower levels across all age groups, in circum- stances when the mother is under-16. On a regional basis, oppo- sition to abortion during the first three months of preg- nancy and only in particular circumstances, is absolute in Gozo. Disagreement with abor- tion runs between 85.3% and 89.8% across all other regions in Malta. The strongest sup- port for abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (in particular circumstances) is found in the Northern Har- bour region where 12.1% of people agree. Methodology The survey was carried out between Tuesday 25 June and Monday 1 July. 653 respondents opted to complete the survey. Stratified random sampling based on gender, region and age was used to replicate the Maltese de- mographics. The estimated margin of error is 5% for a confidence interval of 95%. MALTATODAY SURVEY ABORTION Do you agree with unrestricted abortion in the first 12 weeks? Feb 2018 Jul 2019 Change Yes 2.5% 5.2% +2.7 No 95.2% 90.2% -5 Don't Know 2.3% 4.6% +2.3 Do you agree with abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy but only in some circumstances? Feb 2018 Jul 2019 Change Yes 12% 9.2% -2.8 No 82.6% 87.5% +4.9 Don't Know 5.4% 3.3% -2.1 Do you agree with abortion if the mother's life is in danger? Feb 2018 Jul 2019 Change Yes 45.7% 37.4% -8.3 No 27% 45.5% +18.5 Don't Know 27.3% 17.1% -10.2 Do you agree with abortion if the child is suffering from a severe disability? Feb 2018 Jul 2019 Change Yes 18.5% 20.2% +1.7 No 67.4% 64.9% -2.5 Don't Know 14.1% 14.9% +0.8 Do you agree with abortion in cases of rape? Feb 2018 Jul 2019 Change Yes 15.3% 14.6% -0.7 No 71.5% 78.5% +7 Don't Know 13.2% 7% -6.2 Do you agree with abortion if the mother is under 16 years of age? Feb 2018 Jul 2019 Change Yes 3.3% 5.2% +1.9 No 93.5% 91.5% -2 Don't Know 3.2% 3.3% +0.1 Do you agree with unrestricted abortion at whatever stage of the pregnancy? Feb 2018 Jul 2019 Change Yes 1.3% 1.4% +0.1 No 97.3% 97.2% -0.1 Don't Know 1.4% 1.4% 0 THE February 2018 survey provided a comprehensive look at society's attitudes towards abortion at a time when the human rights com- missioner of the Council of Europe had urged Malta to facilitate access to safe and legal abortion. The survey showed over- whelming opposition to abortion, irrespective of the circumstances. The only ex- ception at the time was if the mother's life was in danger, with a relative majority sup- porting abortion in this cir- cumstance. In March last year, the Women's Rights Founda- tion called for abortion to be legalised in those circum- stances where it is neces- sary to save a woman's life, preserve a woman's physical and mental health, in cases of rape and incest, and when there is fatal impairment of the foetus. Ostensibly, this was the first time that a group of women had come out with a clear public position paper in favour of abortion. A year later, the foundation joined other groups to set up a pro-choice coalition called Voice for Change to cam- paign for the legalisation of abortion. This was followed last May with the creation of a group called Doctors for Choice that brought togeth- er healthcare professionals who agree with abortion. At the same time, more than 670 doctors signed a declaration making known their anti-abortion stand. Abortion cropped up as an issue in the European Parliament election campaign when the National- ist Party accused the Labour Party of sup- porting the Social- ists and Democrats that included access to abortion in their manifesto. The PL insisted the EU did not have and could never have competence on abor- tion and it was up to Maltese legislators to decide on the matter if and when it ever arose. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has repeatedly said the govern- ment has no mandate to in- troduce abortion and it was not on the agenda. It was within this develop- ing context that the latest survey measured once again the attitudes of the Maltese on abortion. Abortion over the past 17 months Pro-choice campaigners: Doctors for Choice activist Matthew Drake, and Women's Rights Foundation activist and lawyer Lara Dimitrijevic

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