N Ireland survey supports abortion

There has been an increase in public support for social abortion in Northern Ireland, according to the findings of a survey in the province last week.
Almost one in three people in Northern Ireland now support legal abortion at the request of a woman, up from one in four people two years ago. There is a particular rise in support for women in extreme poverty who seek abortions.
The poll, conducted for the Birth Control Trust, was published as policy makers and legal experts held a conference in Belfast last weekend in which they discussed grounds for allowing abortion in Northern Ireland. Pro-life groups and all the major Churches have long been successful in holding off an extension of British abortion law.
The survey showed that Catholics are still far less likely to support the legalisation of abortion, particularly in the case of a child being born severely handicapped. A majority of Catholics support legal abortion on the grounds of the mental and physical health of the women, or in cases of sexual assault, claimed the survey.
Meanwhile, a separate survey by Exeter University has found that children of divorces or separated couples are more likely to suffer psychological problems at home and school, and in their social lives.