Access to safe, legal abortion is a crucial issue for women. There is no completely effective contraceptive method and world wide, in countries where abortion is criminalised, tens of thousands of women die every year as a consequence of unsafe abortion. The right to have an abortion is consistently well supported in Britain. Polls show that more than three quarters – 76 per cent of those polled – support a woman’s right to have an abortion 1.
Much of the recent political and media debate on abortion has been sensationalist, ill informed and misleading – painting a distorted picture of abortion access and services in Britain and eclipsing women and their real circumstances from the picture.
Anti-abortionists have tried to create confusion on time limits, because their aim of banning all abortions has very little support. Voice for choice has produced this briefing paper to provide evidence-based information on the issues under discussion.