In all but one of the opinion polls publicly available since 2010, a majority of Canadians support at least some law regulating abortion.
Are Canadians pro-choice?
If you look at the polls that ask whether abortion is permissible (i.e. whether you always support a woman’s choice) the numbers are much closer, with an average of 48% supporting a choice at any point, 46% only supporting sometimes, and 5% unsure.
How can we interpret these results? With opinion polls it is always important to look at the methodology, what questions are being asked and who is being asked. For example, if you ask the average Canadian their opinions on abortion you must remember that (according to one poll) 77% of Canadians are unaware that Canada has no abortion law. Saying you support a women’s right to choose may mean something very different if you are assuming a woman can’t legally have a third trimester abortion.
The 2020 Dart poll is an excellent example of this. In that poll 71% believe a woman should be able to get an abortion for whatever reason, but at the same time 70% of Canadians think abortion should be illegal in the last trimester and 84% supported a law against sex selective abortion.
This illustrates the difference of being asked “Do you support women?” versus “Do you support the termination of a 24-week old fetus who is viable and can feel pain?” or “Do you support abortion targeting a pre-born child because of her sex?” It may feel good to affirm the first question, but uncomfortable when faced with what this means to the pre-born in the second questions.
Prominent pro-abortion activist Joyce Arthur acknowledges this saying, “Virtually everyone supports “freedom” and “privacy” so a large majority of people will agree that women should have both. But if specific questions are asked about exactly when fetal life should be protected, women’s so-called “complete freedom” to have abortions appears to take a sudden nosedive.” Abortion becomes far less palatable when you are faced with the reality of what it does to a pre-born human.
If you really want to know your opinion on abortion, consider the following:
- Do you know that Canada is the only democratic country with no law on abortion?
- Since Canada has no abortion law, do you think it is okay that abortions occur in the last trimester with no legal restrictions?
- Given questions 1 & 2, do you really think any choice a woman makes regarding her pre-born child should be legal?
If you’re not comfortable answering these questions in the affirmative, look at our International Standards Law as a solution. This proposed law would bring Canada in line with all other democratic countries in protecting pre-born children after 13-weeks gestation. It would also allow a waiting period for women seeking an abortion, along with independent counselling to ensure proper informed consent and to screen for coercion or abuse. It’s time we acknowledge that abortion is not only about women, but also about pre-born human beings. It’s time for a law that protects them, while supporting the women who carry them.
Links to opinion polls referenced in tables:
2010 Ipsos Reid
2011 AbacusData
2011 Environics
2012 Forum Research
2012 Postmedia
2012 Angus Reid
2013 Environics
2013 Angus Reid
2017 Ipsos Reid
2018 Angus Reid
2020 DART
Please share on social media, and if you’re interested in receiving some hard copies to share with your community, fill in our contact form or email us at info@test.weneedalaw.ca.
Thank you for your continued support in spreading the word about the hard facts of abortion in Canada. These numbers remind us once again how important this work is, and how far we have to go.
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The British Columbia legislature has appointed a Special Committee to review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) in B.C. This Committee is accepting submissions from anyone who would like to speak up, until January 29, 2016. We have filed an official submission asking the Committee to recommend ending the censorship of abortion-related information that the B.C. FIPPA currently allows.
This exemption for abortion statistics is unique in the health care field; it is the only medical procedure for which hospitals are not required to keep detailed records. Private clinics are not even required to report how many abortions they perform each year. These records should include data on complications during or following the procedure, physical or psychological follow-up care required, gestational age at time of abortion, or reasons given for the abortion. Clearly this random exemption is political in nature, with no bearing in fact and no constitutional ground to stand on.
We aren’t the only ones who can speak up – you can too! Please take a few moments to make your own submission to the committee telling them they should make a recommendation that Section 22.1 be removed from the FIPPA. Submissions can be made as attached documents or, if your message is brief, written in the comments section of the form. There is no need for a lengthy or detailed submission, but everyone who their lends voice, even in a small way, adds weight to the seriousness of this request.
You can read our full submission (6 pages) by clicking on the attachment below. To get you started on your own, here is our executive summary, followed by a few key talking points you could include if you are willing to join us in making a submission.
Executive Summary:
In 2001, the NDP government of British Columbia introduced Bill 21. This bill added new stipulations to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), including exempting most abortion-related statistics from public freedom of information requests. Abortion is a highly-charged cultural and political issue but, as a publicly-funded medical service, it should not be treated differently than other medical services in terms of statistics and reporting. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner heavily criticized this bill because it reduced government accountability.
This censorship of statistics on one specific issue is overbroad and unnecessarily limits access to information regarding government spending on a medical service. A legal challenge has been launched against the constitutionality of a similar provision in Ontario. It is clear that this particular section should be repealed from the British Columbia FIPPA to avoid legal action.
Key talking points:
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abortion is treated differently than any other publicly-funded medical procedure
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the BC NDP mandated that hospitals were required to perform abortions while at the same time passing a law allowing them not to report their statistics relating to these procedures
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telling women they don’t deserve to know about a procedure that can affect them is demeaning and a disservice to women
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legal action has been launched against a similar law in Ontario’s FIPPA, and can be expected here if this change is not made
All submissions to the committee are due by January 29, 2016. Please make this a priority this week or next, so that the Committee will recognize that British Columbians are not going to accept government attempts to stifle the abortion debate and risk women’s health for political reasons.
As Ms. Hatten explains, “Laws against sex-selection abortion are not tantamount to picking a reason for abortion at random and declaring it unacceptable. All abortions are heinous, yes. But sex-selection abortion in particular is often linked to forced abortion, coercion, and violence against the woman in question.”
Sex-selective abortion is not unique to China and India. It has become a global problem that Canada also needs to take action against. We know where the Liberals and NDP stand on addressing this discriminatory practice – they do not really care about it – but the Conservatives have taken a solid position against gendercide. At their most recent convention they voted overwhelmingly in favour of condemning sex-selective discrimination.
It is time for us to begin pressuring the Canadian government to make sex-selective abortion illegal in our country as well. Please do your part and send this email to your MP today!
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