Canada’s abortion law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1988. Since then, there has been no law or restriction against abortion in Canada. Abortions can be performed at any time during pregnancy and for any reason. Annual polls conducted by Leger Marketing and Environics from 2002 to the present have consistently shown that Canadians do not support the status quo. The polls have found that only three in ten Canadians support the current policy in which there is no legal protection for human beings at any stage of development before birth.
Gallup Polls conducted from 1975 to 2000 show similar results, with nearly two-thirds of Canadians indicating they would support some restrictions on abortion. A 1999 Gallup poll showed that 51% of Canadians believed abortion should only be legal in certain circumstances, while an additional 9% would make abortions illegal in all circumstances. Only 37% of Canadians believed abortion should be legal in all circumstances.
Polls reveal that the majority of Canadians:
- support laws to protect human life before birth;
- support informed consent laws which would require that women be informed about fetal development and all health risks and complications before they choose to have an abortion;
- support a law requiring parental consent for minors under the age of 18 to have an abortion;
- believe abortions should either be funded privately or only funded in medical emergencies;
- support a law that would make it a separate crime to kill or injure an unborn baby during an attack on the mother; and;
- think sex-selected abortions should or should not be legal in Canada.
A total of almost two-thirds of Canadians think human life should be legally protected some time prior to the point of birth, including three in ten who think it should be protected from conception onwards. A 2011 poll shows that 26% of Canadians generally think that abortion should be illegal during the first three months of pregnancy, 58% think it should be illegal during the second three months, and 77% think it should be illegal during the last three months. Below are some tables detailing some interesting results from annual polls conducted by Leger Marketing and Environics from 2002 to 2011. All of the information from which these tables are derived can be found at www.lifecanada.org, which also provides full reports consisting of methodology and in depth analysis.
Question: In your opinion, at what point in human development should the law protect human life?
2002 %
2003 %
2004 %
2005 %
2006 %
2007 %
2008 %
From conception on
37 31 33 30 31 30 28
After three months of pregnancy
13 21 24 19 23 21 20
After six months of pregnancy
6 11 11 11 10 11 9
From the point of birth
30 28 28 33 30 33 33
Don’t know/No answer
14 9 4 7 6 5 10
Question: This question concerns the development of human life before birth. According to medical research, a fetal heart begins to beat about three weeks after conception. Brain waves can be detected within two months after conception. By two months all organs and body parts are in place. In your opinion, at what point should the law protect human life?
2011 %
At conception
28
From 2 months on
17
From 3 months on
17
From 6 months on
10
At birth
20
Don’t know/No answer
9
Question: Some states in the U.S. have “informed consent” laws concerning abortion. These laws require that, before a woman has an abortion procedure, her physician must provide her with certain information such as details on the stages of fetal development including an ultrasound scan, the possible complications and side effects following an abortion, and alternatives to abortion. Do you support or oppose similar laws in Canada for women considering abortion?
| 2003 % | 2004 % | 2005 % | 2006 % | 2007 % | 2008 % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, support | 69 | 73 | 70 | 71 | 67 | 65 |
| No, oppose | 24 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 30 |
| Don’t know/No answer | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
Question: At present in Canada it is legal for minors under the age of 18 to have an abortion without the consent of their parents. Do you support or oppose a law that requires minors under the age of 18 to have their parents’ consent in order to have an abortion?
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, support | 69 | 73 | 70 | 71 | 67 | 65 |
| No, oppose | 24 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 30 |
| Don’t know/No answer | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
Question: When it comes to the funding of abortions, which of the following three opinions is closest to your own?
| 2002 % | 2003 % | 2004 % | 2005 % | 2006 % | 2007 % | 2008 % | 2011 % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abortions should always be paid using the tax-funded health care system | 23 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 30 |
| Abortions should be financed using tax dollars but only in medical emergencies, such as a threat to the mother’s life or in cases of rape or incest | 51 | 53 | 54 | 50 | 48 | 47 | 49 | 54 |
| Paying for abortions should be a private responsibility, either out-of-pocket or using Blue Cross or other private health care plans | 15 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 13 |
| Don’t know/No answer | 11 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Note: *For 2011 the third option from the top read as follows: “Paying for abortions should be the individual’s responsibility” as opposed to “Paying for abortions should be a private responsibility, either out-of-pocket or using Blue Cross or other private health care plans”.
Question: In the past two years there have been three cases in Canada where pregnant women have been murdered. Currently in Canada, the Criminal Code does not recognize a foetus as a human being, so someone who injures or kills an unborn child during an attack on the mother cannot be charged with two crimes. Would you support or oppose legislation making it a separate crime to injure or kill a foetus during an attack on the mother?
| 2007% | |
|---|---|
| Yes, support | 72 |
| No, oppose | 22 |
| Depends | 3 |
| Don’t know/No answer | 3 |
Question: Males far outnumber females in a number of countries, such as China and India. This is partly the result of what are called “sex selection” abortions in which families choose to abort girl babies because boys are more highly valued. The lack of women can lead to a number of social problems. India and China have banned such abortions. Do you think sex-selected abortions should or should not be legal in Canada?
| 2011 % |
|
|---|---|
| Should be legal | 5 |
| Should not be legal | 92 |
| Don’t know/No answer | 3 |
The tables and full report which include results pertaining to regional and socio-demographic subgroups can be viewed on the LifeCanada website (www.lifecanada.org) on their National Polls page HERE.