Madam, - According to the Irish Times/Behaviour & Attitudes poll (September 29th), a majority of women in Ireland favour abortion legislation.
Given the way the questions are framed, the results are not all that surprising. The poll makes no distinction between ethical interventions in pregnancy to save the life of the mother and induced abortion, where the life of the unborn child is directly targeted. This in effect renders the findings meaningless.
When people are asked more nuanced questions in polls, there is consistent opposition to abortion.
For example, the most recent Milward Brown/IMS poll, commissioned by the Pro-Life Campaign (March 2007), showed that 77 per cent of those who expressed an opinion supported a constitutional prohibition on abortion, while allowing the continuation of existing practice of ethical intervention in pregnancy to save a mother's life.
I think it's fair to suggest that polls like this, which take
account of the fundamental distinctions involved, give a more
accurate read on public attitudes to abortion. - Yours, etc,
Dr RUTH CULLEN,
Pro-Life Campaign,
Gardiner Street Upper,
Dublin 1.